Four Years And Counting: Part One

By Michelle Cyr-Whiting

Prince George, B.C. -  In just four short years, the City of Prince George will host the biggest event in its history, the 2015 Canada Winter Games.

While the Games' exact dates have not yet been decided, the first 'running' steps were taken towards that 'finish' line with the announcement of the 11 founding members of the Host Society last week.  Those members will be part of the local contingent travelling to Halifax to observe and learn from the 2011 Winter Games, which begin later this week.  They won't all be going at once or for the whole event -- several smaller groups will go for short periods to take in different 'moments': the Opening Ceremonies, the athlete turn-around day in the middle, the Closing Ceremonies and wrap-up.

With the countdown clock to the Halifax Games hitting four days, Opinion250 thought it would be timely to run a series of features looking at some of the aspects involved in hosting an event of this magnitude...

The new Chair of the 2015 Host Society, Anthony Everett, points out more athletes participate in the Canada Winter Games than a winter olympics, "So that just gives you an idea of the scope and size of what we're dealing with."

Here's what Halifax is preparing for during the games from February 11^th to the 27^th:  3600 athletes, coaches and managers, 1000 officials, 1000 VIPs, more than 300 print journalists, more than 100 broadcast journalists, more than 5500 volunteers, and between 7- to 10-thousand visitors.

2011 Halifax Winter Games CEO, Chris Morrissey, says, "You want this to be a fantastic opportunity to showcase your province and showcase your city, so we've put the 'welcome' mat out here." 

"We know people will come to watch the sporting events," says Morrissey.  But he says there will be arts and cultural events going on throughout the entire municipal district to give visitors a variety of experiences.  "As an example of that, our festival site, 'Celebration Square', will have 11 nights of entertainment: everybody from Joel Plaskett, to Great Big Sea, to many other bands will take the stage."

Halifax will be the first host community in recent history to use hotels, rather than a dedicated 'Athletes Village'.  It is a model Prince George plans to copy.  In the 1980s and 90s, schools were used.  Morrissey points out that Whitehorse, host of the 2007 Winter Games, actually built accomodations for use during the games that became affordable housing afterwards.  But the Halifax CEO says the host society felt local hotels would give athletes a high-quality place to rest their heads, while giving the local tourism industry a "bounce".

The cost of the 2011 Games is pegged at $46-million dollars - $31-million in operating costs and $15-million in capital costs.  Host Society Director of Communications, Melissa Mackinnon says the majority of that was split by the three levels of government.  She says the society had to raise just over $8-million dollars and is on target to meet that commitment before the games begin.

Meantime, Morrissey says $14-million dollars of the capital budget went into existing facilities.  He says that infrastructure money has helped to rejuvenate existing facilities and better position them to host events in the future.  He points to two local ski hills as an example: they split $8-million dollars in capital upgrades for things like snow-making equipment, better nordic facilities, and a snowboarding venue.  "The opportunity to develop those sites a little bit further, to make them more sustainable and make sure there's some guaranteed snow around certainly helped us from a Games' perspective," says the CEO.  "But, also, from a long-term legacy value of amateur sport."

He adds, "I think hosting a Canada Games puts you on the map in this country if you want to host events."

"When you put yourself on a national platform and host 20 national sporting championships consecutively, it certainly talks about your capacity as a community and as a province to host many other bigger events."  Events that may not have been on the radar. "Maybe you're going to host an international table tennis championship, maybe you've never thought of that before, or maybe it's badminton because you now have a building with a ceiling high enough and indirect lighting."

On top of everything else on the 2011 Host Society's plate over the next several weeks, Morrissey says, "We're very excited to host Prince George."

"There are lots of single sport championships, but the opportunity to see and feel what a multi-sport event like the Canada Games can do to your host community is rare," he says.  "Our volunteers and staff are really excited to share our information and share the people -- the networking of people -- and make sure (the Prince George contingent has) everything (it) need(s) to go back home and eagerly plan for four years time when you get to host the nation, too."

Email | Print | Facebook | Twitter | Digg | Del.icio.us