The Grey Cup game is staying in Western Canada.

CFL commissioner Mark Cohon formally granted the 2011 contest to Vancouver on Friday. It follows a trend for the league, with the 2009 game scheduled for Nov. 29 in Calgary and the 2010 contest being played in Edmonton.

The last Grey Cup game played in Vancouver was certainly one to remember. The Edmonton Eskimos won the 2005 championship with a thrilling 38-35 overtime decision over the Montreal Alouettes.

What's more, the 2011 game will be played in a B.C. Place Stadium that's about to undergo a $365-million facelift.

Lions owners David Braley said every CFL city wants the game but said he convinced the league that a refurbished B.C. Place "with the new retractable roof, the new concession areas, all the washrooms upgraded, all the boxes being re-decorated, we'll have a brand new stadium.

"So it's time to show that off across the country and be an attraction for people coming from across Canada."

Cohon said the Grey Cup not only unites Canada but also has a significance that bores deeply into the country's psyche.

Cohon reminded the large crowd at a packed news conference that a poll recently asked Canadians about defining events in the country's history.

People mentioned Confederation, the two world wars, the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the Grey Cup, he said.

"The Grey Cup was No. 7," he said. "This is an event that brings Canadians together like no other event."

He said Vancouver has hosted to 13 Grey Cup games and the reception and hoopla generated at the '05 contest made it a "natural" for the league's board of governors to bring it to British Columbia once again.

Premier Gordon Campbell said the league championship is more than a game.

"It's about bringing people together," he said. "It's a great, great event.

"It's a sporting event and a unifying event."

He said the 2005 game, which is still regarded as one of the best in terms of reviving Grey Cup spirit that had lagged in large cities such as Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, injected about $76 million into local economy.

Mayor Gregor Robertson said he used to attend games at now demolished Empire Stadium as a child with his grandfather, who had B.C. Lions season tickets.

Robertson said he's looking forward to the 2011 Grey Cup -- and the possibility of it being played in sunshine with the roof rolled back.

"It is a fantastic cultural institution across our country and we'll be able to welcome the whole country," he said, referring to the game as the "second half of the doubleheader," following the 2010 Winter Olympics.