Local Canada Winter Games Society Posts Final Gold Medal Performance
Opening ceremonies of the 2015 Canada Winter Games 250News file photo
Prince George, BC – In his final duty as Chair of the 2015 Canada Winter Games Host Society, Anthony Everett, appeared before City Council this evening to announce the Games’ financial legacy total of $1.1-million dollars.
Saying the ‘spark’ for hosting the 2015 Canada Winter Games came from around Council’s table, Everett went on to say it was only fitting to announce the dissolution papers have been signed and the society will cease to exist as of 11am tomorrow morning, ending an eight-and-a-half year journey.
While half-a-million dollars were ear-marked at the outset as a PreGames Legacy Fund, Everett told Councillors the remaining $637-thousand dollar surplus will go to the Northern BC Community Sport Development Society (NBCSDS) to help support athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers across the region. The Northern Development Initiative Trust will administer the funds on the society’s behalf.
In addition, Everett announced a Memorandum of Understanding transferring the Novak Family Legacy Wall fundraising initiative to Pacific Sport Northern BC. He said there are about 2000 remaining plaques that have yet to be sold – at $100 dollars each, Everett said it’s an initiative that will raise $200-thousand dollars, with 50-percent of proceeds going to Pacific Sport and the other half going to local sports clubs.
“Like so many things we did, we are the first Host Society in the history of the Canada Games to wrap up this early.” Everett said legal and other outstanding issues often drag out the dissolution process and he credited a lot of hard work on the local group’s part with bringing about such a swift dissolution.
Everett also announced to applause from Councillors that his personal legacy will be to join the Canada Games’ Board of Directors and he will also sit as a director on the NBCSDC.
Councillor Brian Skakun admitted he was not for the Games in the beginning, but said he ‘sure became a believer’. “You’ve come to Council on different occasions, given us financial updates, there were concerns,” said Skakun. “But (sic) we kept the faith, we knew that you would meet your financial goals and, hopefully, exceed them, like you did.”
Councillor Garth Frizzell was a rookie councillor when the idea of hosting the Games was first proposed. “One of the toughest decisions was making that risky investment because you don’t know what it really means…we had to make a commitment that we were going to pay for any shortfalls.”
Frizzell commended Everett on a ‘fitting bow’ to wrap up the Games – “You’re coming in with a surplus, with an incredibly successful games that closed before any others have in history – this is an impressive thing.”
Prince George, BC –
Comments
Great job, and great news! Good for you, Winter Games Committee and all the Volunteers! I’m sure you’re justifiably proud of yourselves! Hopefully this story won’t introduce more negative comments from a lot of the group on here, but I’m not holding my breath.
Any updates on Mr Everett’s lawsuit against Northern BC Tourism for his early dismissal? Looks like he milked this one to the end anyways….
I think he failed. As local taxpayers we paid for and had a good party, but outside of PG it was but a blip of its potential impact on showing the wider country who we are. I think it was an arrogant and fatal flaw of the games to not only give exclusive rights to games to a single network, but to pay them to broadcast as well… For what amounted to obscure pay per view low budget programming.
We could of been headlines on every news broadcast in the country in a positive light for once, but we were hardly covered other than a small blurb on Global about a recovering 3rd avenue… as the only story they could cover due to the press restrictions from Mr Everett’s exclusivity clause. So what little media did come gave it the obligatory coverage without sport highlights and left town as soon as they could.
Unlike mytwobits, where does the cost of the upgraded Kin centre fit in? I think these guys do math like our Provincial counterparts did for the 2010 Olympics?
Sure , the Kin centre needed to be upgraded, but to the extent that was done?? Use the legacy money for the two aquatic centre upgrades, after all, it is taypayer money. Don’t be fooled by the “Legacy” moniker that was placed on it!
Certainly couldn’t have done this without forcing the taxpayers to pony up for the games.
I would expect nothing less from this website than the regular posters to poo-poo everything and never admit that they may have been wrong. Sad but predictable.
A sizable legacy to support sport development is fitting end to a great, great event for our community. The Games were an unqualified success and boosted pride in PG like nothing ever before. Kudos to everyone involved, especially the volunteers.
As a pensioner, I wish I had the deep pockets of realitycheck and mytwobits. Then I could say, “A job well done”!
I wonder what these two people will say when they have to foot the bill for a replacement for the 4 Seasons pool?
Knowing our city, it will be part of a bid to host a summer games, so they can fool the taxpayer into thinking it was part of a another games legacy!
If there is any credit due for these Winter Games it all goes to the Prince George taxpayers who paid $15 Million in additional taxes to finance these games.
As usual everyone wants to take credit, however without that $15 Million you would have never had the games. Keep in mind a lot of people who had to pay this additional tax were not in favour of the games or the tax. This was rammed through by Council and some vested interest groups, and as usual they are now lining up to take the credit for the so called success.
I say Kudo’s to the taxpayers, the real backbone of any City.
Comments for this article are closed.