Canadian-Bahamian Friendship Celebrated in Tree-Lighting

Tue, Dec 20th 2016, 12:15 PM

Last weekend the Botanical Gardens lit up with holiday cheer at the opening of its annual Christmas Village. The center of the celebrations was the lighting of a soaring, twenty-foot tall Christmas tree, donated by The Canadian Cultural Committee, with assistance from CIBC FirstCaribbean.

The tree is a gift from the Canadian community to the people of the Bahamas to symbolize the longstanding friendship between the two Commonwealth countries. The Canadian community in The Bahamas is large and longstanding and hundreds of Bahamian students are educated in Canada each year. The annual tree-giving tradition has been celebrated for over four decades, and according to Peter Goudie, President of the Canadian Cultural Committee, “is our way of saying thank you to the Bahamian people.”

For the past four years, CIBC FirstCaribbean has helped to defray cost of the gargantuan tree with a donation to the Canadian Cultural Committee. Mr. Goudie states that this too is an important symbol.

“CIBC FirstCaribbean, as both a Canadian and a Caribbean bank, is in its own way a representation of the friendship between Canada and the entire region,” said Mr. Goudie. ‘Canadian affiliate banks like CIBC FirstCaribbean have a long and rich history here. We thank them for their support in this annual event.”

The tree was lit and presented by Mr. Goudie at a ceremony at The Botanical Gardens on Saturday, December 10. Senator Gregory Burrows symbolically accepted the tree on behalf of the Bahamian Government and people.

Peter Goudie of the Canadian Cultural Committee accepts a donation cheque from Lorraine Johnson, Branch Manager at CIBC FirstCaribbean Bay Street Branch.


About CIBC FirstCaribbean

CIBC FirstCaribbean is the largest, regionally-listed bank in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean serving over 400 000 customers in 17 markets, through approximately 2,900 staff, across 100 branches and offices. The bank, which has almost 250 years of combined experience in the region, offers a full range of market-leading financial services in: Corporate and Investment Banking, Treasury Sales and Trading, Retail Banking, Wealth Management, Small Business and Credit Cards.

CIBC FirstCaribbean is a member of the CIBC Group. CIBC is a leading Canadian-based global financial institution with nearly 11 million personal banking and business clients. Through our three major business units – Retail and Business Banking, Wealth Management and Wholesale Banking – CIBC offers a full range of products and services through its comprehensive electronic banking network, branches and offices across Canada with offices in the United States and around the world.

For more information about CIBC FirstCaribbean, visit www.cibcfcib.com


Samone S. Davis

Serena Williams Media & Public Relations

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