Chamber asks city not to bid on Canada Winter Games
Costs outweigh the opportunities, says president of business association
Evan Kiyoshi French
Northern News Services
Friday, September 18, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce has released its official position on whether the city should bid on the 2023 Canada Winter Games, and the answer is, "No."
Deneen Everett, executive director of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, said a survey of Yellowknife businesses led to the chamber asking the city to drop the idea of bidding on the 2023 Canada Winter Games. - Evan Kiyoshi French/NNSL photo |
In a letter addressed to mayor and council Sept. 15, chamber president Jason McEvoy "formally" requested the City of Yellowknife not bid on the Games.
The position is based on a survey of 194 business owners who revealed concerns about possible property tax increases, declining population, volunteer recruitment and ability to accommodate athletes and visitors.
When asked if the chamber should support the city hosting the Games, 53 per cent of respondents said no, 29 per cent said yes, while 18 per cent are unsure, stated McEvoy.
"Based on these results ... the board of directors believes that the costs associated with Yellowknife hosting the 2023 Canada Winter Games far outweigh the opportunities," he stated.
The survey was carried out over the past month, after business owners had a chance to examine the plan, which would cost around $35 million - according to a formula provided by the Canada Games Council - and would require the city to find more than 4,000 volunteers.
The chamber sent the results of their last survey with comments from business owners attached, said Deneen Everett, executive director for the chamber.
The anonymous comments address concerns lack of infrastructure, volunteers and sponsors.
One comment reads that the city's loitering laws need to be updated, "to keep foot traffic moving in the downtown core."
"Seeing homeless folk on national/regional television is an image that we do not want to imprint on media viewership," it reads.
Mayor Mark Heyck did not respond to requests for comment before press time.
but deputy mayor Linda Bussey said she doesn't know whether council would proceed without the chamber's support.
"That's a decision that's going to have to be talked about in council," she said.
She said she isn't in support of the bid from her perspective as a councillor.
"I'm not in support of the Games as they are now, so for me to see this gives reinforcement," she said. "I understand that their sponsors are usually not the national sponsors, so it's not just about sponsorship, it's about infrastructure and it's about our capability to really offer good Games. There are many questions we need to ask ourselves even before considering."
She said the sub-committees are still working on their reports but council won't meet again until after the election.
"It's going to be in the hands of the next council," she said.
Everett said the chamber hadn't received reaction from the mayor as of yesterday morning, but had been contacted by Coun. Niels Konge.
Konge said he's been asking for more information about the Games bid since it was proposed late last year. He said the onus to prove the Games will work is on those in favour of the bidding on the event.
"The taxpayer is ultimately the one who is going to have to pay for it," he said.
Konge said the sub-committees formed to brainstorm the various aspects of the games haven't produced evidence showing the games would be benefit the city.
"We haven't seen anything yet," he said.
Coun. Cory Vanthuyne said there are many questions that need to be answered before a decision can be made and he thinks the chamber took its position prematurely. He said it ought to have waited until the subcommittees researching the aspects of the bid have presented their reports.
"I appreciate that they took the effort ... to reach out to their membership, but the chamber of commerce is one of the committee members on the Canada games working group," he said. "A lot of the questions they are concerned with are the same questions that the working group is tasked with answering."
The estimate for the Games doesn't include costs associated with building an athletes village and rebuilding the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool at estimated costs of $23 million and $30 million, respectively.
The cost of the athletes village - which the GNWT has hinted it will "work with the city" in paying for - has been left out because the structures will fall into the territory's housing stock once the Games are finish, to be used as seniors or students housing. The pool - according to Heyck - hasn't been included because it's slated for reconstruction anyway. Heyck has said the pool construction would need to be moved up from 2023 to 2020 in order to have it ready for the Games.
Everett said a similar survey - asking if there was appetite for such an event - was put to chamber businesses when talks about the bid began. She said at that time - even before the business community had a chance to learn about what the city was looking at - the respondents answered the chamber's question with a resounding, "No."
