March 15, 2010
By Spencer Williams
Sam Sullivan- Former Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan has a decade-plus experience in municipal politics, plus he is a member of the Order of Canada, and is the founder of six charitable foundations. Sullivan had said that he became the Mayer not because had a disability but because the city of Vancouver was so accessible
“Inclusion and Accessibility - it is one thing to be able to go up a ramp but will you be included when you get there? ” –Sam Sullivan-
Sullivan took part in the Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics, in the ceremony where the Olympic Flag was passed from Turin to Vancouver. The flag was put into a special bracket built into Sullivan's wheelchair by Jay Drew, a member of the Vancouver based Tetra volunteer society that Sam was also involved with.
After the event, Sullivan received thousands of letters from people across the world. I especially was moved to see he had such an impact on people's lives was truly a humbling experience," Sullivan said in response to the reaction.
Sullivan also handed the flag over to Whistler mayor Ken Melamed. This marks the first time a physically disabled mayor has accepted the Paralympic flag in the closing ceremony. Sullivan remarked, "There are a lot of Paralympic athletes who have contacted me. They say the fact of my being a mayor in a major city, an Olympic and Paralympic city, sends a strong message that disabled people can play an important and crucial part in society."
On February 25, 2010, Sam Sullivan was announced Canada’s ambassador for the 2010 Winter Paralympics, held in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, between March 12 and March 21, 2010.