People are underestimating the economic impact the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer will have on the region according to Games Chairperson Lyn Radford.
“Some things we’re actually going to concentrate on is giving some real examples,” she said. “So $132 million dollars, that sounds really big but we’re great in our society for throwing around big numbers but let’s bring it down to the grassroots level and let’s really make it how this is impacting our community.”
Radford also emphasized the rare opportunity right in front of area residents with this once in a lifetime chance to be involved in something of this magnitude.
“ The next time it’s hosted in this province it will be 25 years from 2019.”
The legacy of games at any level is very important and these ones will be no different. It’s that legacy which will bring into focus the impact of hosting the 2019 Canada Winter Games. But what is felt goes even deeper than just seeing venues.
Scott Robinson, Chief Executive Officer for the games says it’s about developing athletes but also developing the facilities for those athletes moving forward.
“Obviously we’re investing in some new facilities and some upgraded ones as well and we want to make sure that those facilities as part of the legacy have a supporting development system underneath that which ensures those facilities are fully used and that the athletes have the opportunity to develop in Central Alberta.”
Robinson says there are examples of facilities being built and then there is no thought to what happens after the event is over. So this group is really paying attention to that so future athletes have those opportunities to develop skills.
Examples would include the cross country and biathlon facilities in the River Bend Golf and Recreation Area. There is a very strong cross country presence in the region but the biathlon part of the equation is way behind.
“The biathlon range will be completely redone for the games. It will be a fantastic site with the ability to host a national championship calibre event and we want to help spur the development of a biathlon club.”
Another sport which will benefit from the games is squash. There are a limited number of courts available for the sport which in turn limits the number of players. Robinson says the Gary W. Harris Canada Winter Games facility at Red Deer College is going to add some high end courts which should bring more people into the sport.
There is more focus added to the big picture. The games committee has been cognizant of the fact they are spending loads of money so the spotlight has been on how to spend it wisely, especially when faced with the question of permanent versus temporary facility.
“You can spend some money upgrading facilities from a temporary point of view and still meet the needs for the games, “said Robinson.” The problem is it doesn’t have much of a legacy component afterwards. So the bid committee was very conscious about trying to ensure that we had the partnerships in place and the funding in place to build some permanent things and make sure the community benefits from that after the games.”
So how big is this for the athletes and the community?
“I don’t know if there is a bigger event that Red Deer could host than this,” said Robinson. “Certainly in terms of sport it’s the biggest multisport event in the country. There’s no other country in the world that has a national multi-sport games like the Canada Games.”
It matches up with Olympic in terms of the number of athletes and the number of people, he said.
The biggest hurdle facing the games at this point is a fragile economy and while there are signs of improvement it’s still a concern moving forward.
“We have a big budget, a $32 million dollar budget of which we know we have about $22 million in dedicated funding so we have $10 million to raise. So we have a little bit more to go and in our current economic situation that it’s probably doable but with a little more work than it might have been five years ago,” said Radford.
The silver lining in this might be the fact more sponsors at different levels from around the nation should be able to get on board with the games.
“Everybody has a chance to be a part of that and we’ll be hoping people will be looking for ways to do that. We’ve got some ways where people can be creative with their sponsorship,” she said.
You can be a part of the biggest event to ever hit the Red Deer region. Get involved!
