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Collingwood Downtown played host to the 2008 Para Games Sledge Hockey tournament at the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena. The action began early Friday February 15th, providing high level entertainment for the large number of spectators.

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Collingwood's downtown has a unique advantage over many other communities. The town has kept the arena in the downtown core while many towns have built new arenas far away from the main business district. Having the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena operating year-round in the centre of Downtown Collingwood attracts large crowds and lots of business for the downtown core and its merchants.

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Collingwood merchants welcomed the Winter Paralympics participants by providing easy access to stores and restaurants. Special ramps were installed throughout the downtown, made possible by the town's Paralympic Committee, the Downtown BIA and Collingwood Collegiate.

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Downtown BIA General Manager Sue Nicholson said that many downtown businesses paid $100.00 to sponsor an athlete, with the BIA matching every donation. Nicholson said proceeds from the athlete sponsorship program went to assist in staging the Collingwood games. Athlete profiles were on display in Downtown Collingwood business windows.

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Special event loading zones were created on Hurontario Street and in the municipal parking lot adjacent to the downtown Eddie Bush Memorial Arena. This was made a bit more difficult by the extensive snowfall which resulted in high snowbanks throughout the downtown district. BIA General Manager Sue Nicholson thanks the tireless work efforts by Town of Collingwood employees to clear snow from the downtown immediately prior to the arrival of the Paralympic Winter Championships. Collingwood's Chris Stoutenburg, a double-gold medal winning athlete, acted as the Honourary Chair for the 2008 event.

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