SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The Yellowknife Ski Club board will decide next week whether to endorse the city bidding on the 2023 Canada Winter Games at a time when a council decision on the issue has again been delayed.

John Stephenson, Yellowknife Ski Club president, said the group's board of directors will vote Monday on whether to endorse the city bidding on the 2023 Canada Winter Games. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo

John Stephenson, club president, said the eight-member group will vote at 7 p.m. Monday at the club, adding the board is welcoming input from its membership.

"I think it's something we can do," Stephenson said about the Games.

The ski club's facility off the old Highway 4 would be a key venue for the winter event.

Should the bid go ahead, previous estimates show the ski club receiving around $1 million in improvements through the funding formula that takes from the municipal, territorial and federal governments.

Stephenson said if the vote is in favour, he would like to personally appear before city council to make a pitch supporting a bid.

Council was expected to receive a report examining the pros and cons of a bid drafted by a special committee, of which Stephenson is a member, late last year.

However, in December, Mayor Mark Heyck said the report was being pushed to January. Council would then decide whether to proceed with a bid.

Heyck told a municipal services committee meeting Monday the report from the committee wasn't ready. Instead, the report will likely be presented to councillors in February.

The mayor the organizing body of the Games has agreed to let the city have extra time - the end of February - to decide on whether to proceed with a bid.

Sue Hylland, CEO of the Canada Games Council - the governing body of the Games - told Yellowknifer last January it's a non-competitive bid, meaning no other city is vying for the opportunity. Should the city decline, the council - representatives from which have visited the city at least twice - will have to find another location, Hylland said at the time.

In September, the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce came out against a Games bid after a survey of its members and a vote by its board.

Of eight councillors elected Oct. 19, six have stated they'd be against a bid. Couns. Shauna Morgan and Julian Morse said they'd await the committee's final report before taking a position.

One of the big issues is how to house the hundreds of athletes who would descend on the city for the sports competition.

The city has long said it would require a commitment from the GNWT to fund construction of housing.

The GNWT has said in the past it will reserve a decision until the city decides whether to proceed with a bid.

A summary of discussions at a December committee meeting reveals the city could be responsible for some of the housing costs. No financial figure is listed in the minutes.

Heyck, the city's spokesperson on the Games, was not available to elaborate on the cost issue.

Total cost to host the Games is estimated at around $35 million but this figure doesn't include necessary renovations to the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool nor the athletes village, estimated at $23 million and $30 million respectively.