Mr. Speaker, the Nechako Valley Vikings of Vanderhoof, British Columbia, won the 27th annual New Waterford Coal Bowl Classic basketball tournament final at Breton Education Centre in New Waterford.
This year's Coal Bowl was another great success thanks to the many volunteers and sponsors. The New Waterford Coal Bowl Classic is a premiere national invitational boy's high school basketball tournament, but it is more than that. It is a celebration of culture, academics and, of course, sportsmanship.
This year 10 teams in attendance from across Canada volunteered in a local grocery store to raise money for the families of the seven members of the Bathurst High School Phantoms basketball team who were killed in a tragic motor vehicle accident last month. I am pleased to report that the teams raised over $2,000 for the Boys in Red memorial fund established after the tragic accident.
Congratulations to all for a job well done.