170th Anniversary of Canada’s First Railway  

February 8, 2006

Exporail will hold its first fund-raising dinner at its reception hall on Thursday, March 30 to celebrate the 170th anniversary of the opening in 1836 of Canada's first railway, the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad, which ran from Laprairie to St. Jean, Quebec and as a tribute to the Monteregie Region, the birthplace of Canada's railways.

The evening will be animated as an early railway shareholders’ meeting, when investors were being asked to put their money into this newly-developed form of transport. A meal based on 1836 menus will continue the historical theme.

The Honorary President of the evening will be Sean Finn, Vice-President of CN; Chairman of the Board of the Railway Association of Canada, and Mayor of St. Lambert. The mayors of Laprairie and St. Jean have also been invited. A large number of officials from the Monteregie region are expected. Capacity is limited to 320. Tickets for the event are $150 each, a portion of which is eligible as a charitable donation.