Ontario Winter Games 2023 Live Stream: The 2023 Ontario Winter Games got underway in Renfrew County on Thursday with a pair of local athletes looking to chase gold in their hometown.”It’s crazy. We were shocked to hear that it was here but we’re so excited,” said twins Alexis and Jaidyn McGuire.The 16-year-olds from Arnprior were selected as two of the best under-20 ringette players in the province. Both sisters were also named to the same team among the six that were formed.

The ringette competition is being held at the Nick Smith Centre in Arnprior, where the McGuire twins have played hundreds of times over the last 13 years.”It’s great. This is where they started out was in Arnprior, back in bunnies, so back when they were three and four years old,” Jo-Anne McGuire told CTV News.”So it’s great that it’s come full circle and they’re back in Arnprior to compete at this level.”

Ringette was one of two events to kick off the 2023 edition of the Ontario Winter Games, along with futsal which is being hosted in Petawawa.The games will feature 22 events taking place over a two-week span in nine different communities across the region.Renfrew County Warden and chair of the 2023 Ontario Winter Games Peter Emon says the event is one of the biggest and most complex the county has ever hosted.

“It’s the first of its kind that’s been held here and I think it’s the first in Ontario in terms of complexity and holding it over two weekends, the nine different communities that are hosting it,” Emon said.”Nobody has done it quite like that before.”By the end of the two weeks, over 6,000 participants and visitors are expected to come into Renfrew County, generating roughly $6 million for the local economies.

“I’ve already heard from a lot of local restaurants and hotels,” says Emon. “All the rooms are booked up; people are reserving times in restaurants.”Due to the spread-out nature of the events, two opening ceremonies will be held in Renfrew at Ma-Te-Way Park. The first is Thursday, and the second is Thursday, Feb. 9.Local Olympian Melissa Bishop-Nriagu has been named as ambassador for this year’s events.

“It’s great, not only for our local athletes that are going to be competing but for any athlete competing,” says Tina Hunt, chair of special events for the games.”It just goes to show that across various areas, whether it be the country or the province, that they can strive to be that and strive to work towards that.”

It was a positive start to the competition for the McGuire sisters, with their Black Team winning their opening game 3-2.The twins are hoping a gold medal win in their home arena will help propel them to greater success in their ringette futures.”I think just we’re going out there and trying our best,” said Jaidyn. “You never know the outcome, so I think just ending every game knowing you did your best.”

The Games’ medals were inspired by the forestry industry, which is a key part of the heritage of Renfrew County and a major player in the local economy.“We are really pleased with the medals, which were handcrafted by an independent jeweller and are inspired by the forests of our region, while reinforcing the important values of the Games,” said Cindy Burwell, Games manager.

The medals were designed by Erin Mask, a graphic artist from Madawaska Valley, with the Ontario Winter Games logo and coniferous trees, indigenous to our area, on the front of the medals and the County of Renfrew logo and the Games’ Values on the back. The medals were fabricated by a small Ontario jeweller, Personal Illusion Jewelers.

“I would say that the clean, simple image of the trees on the front of the medal represents, to me, the best our area has to offer – industry, space, beauty and abundant opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors,” said Mask. “We are privileged to live here.”

Mask’s family moved from Toronto to Barry’s Bay when she was just eight years old, after they visited a cottage on Kaminiskeg Lake for a few summers and decided to trade the city life in for the rural beauty and pace of the Madawaska Valley. She went to George Brown College for Graphic Design and Advertising, returned to the Madawaska Valley and came back to the Valley to raise her family 12 years later. She works full time with the Renfrew County District School board and does freelance graphic design work on the side.

“I hope the medals remind the visiting athletes of their great accomplishments here in Renfrew County surrounded by vast beauty and opportunities that will draw them back to visit often,” added Mask. “I am thankful for the opportunity to contribute to this great event!”

An important part of these Renfrew County Games are the Games’ Values, sponsored by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL). CNL has long served as a major employer in Renfrew County, and as a trusted and reliable partner to local communities and businesses. The Games have adopted CNL’s core values and seek to abide by these values and share them with all participants. The six core values encompass the back of the medal, surrounding the Renfrew County logo in the centre: Safety, Integrity, Respect, Teamwork, Accountability and Excellence.

The medal ribbon colours also have special meaning; on the gold medal is red which represents “inspiration” and Team Ontario’s official colour; the silver medal ribbon is blue, which represents “community” and green ribbon for the bronze medal represents “opportunity”.

Well over a thousand people braced the cold, snowy and windy weather to attend the opening ceremonies of the 2023 Ontario Winter Games in Renfrew County. The opening ceremonies started at 6:30pm on Thursday night (February 2nd) and lasted approximately one hour. Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon says it was about minus 25 with the wind chill and as the athletes parade started snow squalls covered the area.

Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.In addition to the adverse weather conditions on the night of the opening ceremonies, organizers had several obstacles to overcome leading up to the Ontario Winter Games according to Games Manager Cindy Burwell.

Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.Burwell is excited for all the competitions to start. Emon is encouraging the community to get out and watch some of the sports over the next couple of days with all events free to attend.Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.Futsal, Curling, Ringette, Speed Skating, Hockey, Judo, Artistic Swimming and Fencing are part of the first weekend of competition from February 2nd to February 5th.