Cowichan Bay, located 45 minutes north of Victoria, BC has been named North America’s first certified Cittaslow (slow town). Joining towns in Italy, Germany, Norway, Poland, Portugal and the UK among other countries, Cowichan Bay was assessed and certified under six potential areas of excellence with 52 assessment points, including environmental policy, infrastructure, hospitality and community and quality of urban fabric. Cittaslow towns, a movement founded in Italy in 1999 and rooted in the Slow Food movement, aim to improve the quality of life for their residents, support local specialties and cultural diversity while preserving their rural lifestyle. Cowichan Bay, a picturesque seaside village nestled in the Cowichan Valley is a blend of sail and fishing boats, piers and floating homes and home to high quality, niche food products. Visitors to Cowichan Bay can taste delectable artisan cheese made from local milk, visit award-winning wineries, and enjoy delectable breads made from Red Fife wheat that is milled and grown in the area, speaking to why this special area is becoming known as Canada’s Provence. The official ceremony and ribbon cutting will take place in Cowichan Bay on September 18, 2009. For more information on Cittaslow visit www.cittaslow.net.