SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The city spent about $75,000 to study the feasibility of hosting the 2023 Canada Winter Games, according to city staff.

Leanne Tait, left, speaks about the Canada Winter Games Working Committee report examining the feasibility of hosting the Games in 2023 on Jan. 28 at the Explorer Hotel. It part of the public consultation which cost roughly $9,000. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo

Grant White, the director of community services, provided the figures this week although he did not provide a specific breakdown of how the money was spent.

"It's largely the consultants, bringing up the Canada Winter Games folks and public consultations," White said.

He said "most" of the cost was tied to hiring consultants that came to the city to study potential venues.

White said the public consultation portion cost roughly $9,000. That included booking a large conference room at the Explorer Hotel for a news conference one day followed the next day by a breakfast meeting - including a buffet - and an evening public meeting. There was also a public meeting at the Multiplex, which is a city building.

City council voted unanimously Feb. 22 to not go ahead with a bid.

Coun. Niels Konge, who said he'd oppose a Games bid if it came at a cost to city taxpayers, told Yellowknifer this week the knowledge gained by spending the $75,000 was worth it.

"Do I think we could have used the money on something else? Absolutely. But I mean if we did want to find out what it was going to take, then we had to spend some money," Konge said.

He said he wasn't surprised by the amount, but would like to know the specifics of what it includes.

Konge has floated the idea of the city and other communities in the territory co-hosting a future summer Games when hotels aren't booked up with aurora tourists and winter-road workers.

2023 host sought

Yellowknife was considered the only community in the territory capable of hosting the Canada Winter Games.

Now that the city has formally opted not to go ahead with the Games, another host city will have to be selected.

Council's rejection will likely trigger a meeting between federal, provincial, territorial ministers responsible for sport as well as the Games' organizing body, the Canada Games Council.

Sue Hylland, the president and CEO Canada Games Council, told Yellowknifer prior to city council's vote that such a meeting would likely happen sometime this year to figure out what happens to the 2023 Games.

Ministers of sport from provinces and territories set the host schedule. The host schedule that included the Northwest Territories had been set almost a decade ago.

"At some point, the (collective group of governments) will have to make a call on how they're going to manage this situation," Hylland said before the vote.

"Is there any jurisdiction ready to fill the gap right away, do we just move the schedule up? There's a whole bunch of different questions," she said.

Andrew Livingstone, a GNWT cabinet spokesperson, wrote in an e-mail that discussions about finding another host city for 2023 will likely take place in the spring ahead of a potential minister of sport conference in June.