Hey Red Deer, are you ready?
It was a questions asked several months ago in connection with this city being chosen as the host of the 2019 Canada Winter Games.
So now we are just 18 months away from that massive undertaking and organizers are confident we will be ready.
Work is continuing the spectacular Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre and the speed skating oval at Great Chief Park is coming along just fine.
But 18 months will fly by and the next thing you know Red Deer will be flooded by more than 20,000 people from all across our great country to take part in the games in some way or as a spectator to watch the next Olympic athlete compete.
It’s going to be a huge drain on our most valued resource in our city-volunteers.
But if any group is up to the task, this bunch will be and the energy felt in Winnipeg for the recent summer games will be just as positive when things kick off in Red Deer.
The Red Deer Winter Games committee was in Winnipeg to get a feel for how things were done for the summer games and are back, armed with more ideas to put Red Deer in the spotlight.
There are those who ask, why host these games and it’s a fair question.
The legacy left behind is going to be visible with the above mentioned facilities but in addition there is the estimated $100 to $125 million dollar economic injection during the games.
It’s the largest event ever hosted in Red Deer but there is a level of confidence amongst organizers that this city can pull it off and set the bar higher for the 2023 games in Prince Edward Island.
So the clock is ticking and 18 months from now this is all going to happen.
So,are we ready?
