Budget Car Rental celebrated its 50th anniversary in Canada with the “Drive Away a Winner Event,” in partnership with the Air Miles Reward Program, according to a Feb. 21 press release.

As the grand finale of the event, one customer won 50,000 Air Miles reward miles. Another winner — to be announced later this year — will receive a 2013 Ford Escape rental for 50 weeks.

Budget began its operations in Canada in 1962 with locations in Calgary and Vancouver. The company added Budget trucks to the fleet in 1963 and expanded to airports in 1966.

Today, Budget is available at airports and metropolitan areas including Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Saskatoon, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Victoria.

“Budget has a history of providing renters in Canada with premium products and service, and we are very proud to celebrate this exciting milestone,” said Bill Boxberger, Avis Budget Group VP and general manager in Canada. “One thing that has never changed over the last 50 years is our focus and drive to 'put the customer first,' one of our ongoing strategic growth initiatives.”