VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Olympic flame will shine on every corner of Canada during a historic torch relay that will serve as the national rallying cry for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

Olympic organizers will launch the torch's journey in Victoria, British Columbia, on Oct. 30, 2009. If it runs as scheduled, 106 days later it will be the longest-ever domestic torch relay.

The route twice crosses the country, starting up through British Columbia to Canada's North, across the Prairies and then back to the North, before heading to the Atlantic provinces.

From there, it again will travel west to finish in Vancouver and set ablaze the Olympic cauldron to mark the start of the Games on Feb. 12, 2010.

"The Olympic torch relay holds a unique place in people's hearts," Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, said in a statement.

"It also carries with it a message of peace and hope, transmitting the Olympic spirit to all who come out and celebrate its journey."

Celebration events for the torch will be held in 200 communities and the torch will pass through more than 1,000 places.

It will go as far north as Alert, Nunavut, and as far south as Point Pelee, Ontario.

It will visit the homes of fictional and real-life Canadian heroes and stop in the two other Canadian cities that have hosted an Olympics — Montreal and Calgary.

It also will spend time in all the provincial capitals and visit national parks and lighthouses.

The torch is set to travel almost 28,000 miles by land, sea and air and come within an hour's drive of 90 percent of the Canadian population.

Twelve thousand Canadians will have the chance to run with the torch but organizers are hoping millions more will line the route.

"Mapping out this route, we wanted to include as many Canadians as possible," John Furlong, the chief executive officer of the Vancouver organizing committee, said in a statement.

"It is our dream to unite this country and bring Canadians closer together to rediscover the many cultures and perspectives that make up our nation — to celebrate Canada."

The budget for the torch relay is $31 million, with the lion's share of the funding coming from the Canadian government.