SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The legacy of the Canada Winter Games in 2023 could be living accommodations for students and seniors at an expanded Aurora College campus, according to the executive director for the Sport North Federation.

Doug Rentmeister, executive director for Sport North, said expanding facilities at Aurora College could help solve accommodation woes should the city decide to submit a bid for the 2023 Canada Winter Games. - Evan Kiyoshi French/NNSL photo

Doug Rentmeister - reporting on behalf of the benefits and games legacy sub-committee to a July meeting about the Canada Winter Games - said he's explored how revamping the college might help to answer accommodation needs while fulfilling legacy goals. In a telephone interview after the meeting, Rentmeister said the idea isn't new.

"It's been floating around for a number of years now," he said.

Rentmeister said the city has been under pressure to "heighten awareness" of the college campus, and has been looking at having a university campus here, arms-length of the University of Alberta. He said the college expansion would be in addition to the estimated $23 million athletes' village - the key piece of infrastructure needed to pull off the event. The GNWT began hinting late last year it might "contribute toward" the cost if the city decides to go ahead with the bid.

Rentmeister said the case can be made that expanding or building post-secondary campuses satisfies the two major issues on the table for the GNWT as it heads toward the election - seniors and students.

Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro - who was reporting to the July meeting on behalf of the visitors sub-committee - said she likes the idea, which she heard about for the first time at the meeting.

"If we get to the point where we're building accommodations, it's entirely possible that something could be added on," she told Yellowknifer late last month.

"The accommodations could become either or both - students and seniors housing . it might be an interesting combination."

She said she's read articles about the benefits of having the two age-groups living together.

"It benefits both students and seniors from a social perspective," she said.

She said it would be cheaper to expand the existing buildings, rather than building an entirely new campus, although - she said - she knows the college is in need of a new one.

Legacy ideas mulled

She said other legacy ideas bounced around - like building a convention centre - are too pricey.

"That's all awesome, but do we have the money?" she said. "If it can be fit into something we're building already then I'm supportive of that but if it's going to be a new project, I'm grimacing."

When asked if the GNWT can afford to participate in Canada Winter Games building projects, Bisaro said she's supportive of the Games and thinks they can be used as a rallying point to meet housing shortfalls in the city.

"It's all a matter of changing priorities," she said. "Instead of doing four or five or six different projects, you put it all into one project. It can be done. Money is moved around all the time."

Mayor piques to college expansion idea

Mayor Mark Heyck said council wants to increase the post-secondary opportunities in the city, so the college expansion idea caught his attention.

"I think it would be fantastic for an expanded campus here in Yellowknife," he said, adding that Aurora College campuses - which are spread around at different locations in the city - are limited. "The current operations are constrained . Our council - early in our term - set as one of our goals and objectives the exploration of enhanced and additional post-secondary educational opportunities for our residents which we hope the college would certainly be a part of."

He said accommodations built in Whitehorse became student and seniors housing after the Games but the idea needs to be fleshed-out more before it's considered a realistic plan for the Games.

"Having looked at the venues we need to meet the standards of the winter Games. Certainly the athlete's village is one," he said. "But I think the (NWT Housing Corporation) probably has some ideas about the end use of that facility . whether that's part of the model in terms of an overall campus expansion . I think that would need to be fleshed out a bit more."

Jane Arychuk - Aurora College president - stated in an e-mail the college is into the idea.

"Aurora College is interested in discussing with the bid planning committee the possibilities the (Canada Winter Games) would open up for Yellowknife North Slave Campus including student housing options," she stated.

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