What would it take for NWT to host the Canada Games?

A new report is exploring what it would realistically involve for the Northwest Territories to host the Canada Winter Games in 2035.

Consultants from Crossing Point Advisory Ltd presented their findings from a hosting feasibility assessment to Yellowknife city councillors on Wednesday afternoon.

“We’re confident that the territory can deliver the games, and can deliver the games in a really strong and good way,” Mike Olesen said.

“There’ll be lots to work through but ultimately, yes, this is something that can happen in the territory in a good way.”

The report does not recommend whether the territory should or should not host the games. Rather, it outlines various models the NWT could use to host the games along with potential challenges, risks and benefits.

The report is intended to help the NWT government decide whether to put in a bid to host the 2035 games. The territory is expected to make that decision by this fall.

“Ultimately, the decision facing the Government of the Northwest Territories is whether to commit to leading a complex, multi-year, and community-defining undertaking, with a clear understanding of the risks, responsibilities, and opportunities involved,” the report says.

Accommodations and sports venues

One of the biggest challenges the report said the NWT faces in hosting such a large event is that existing accommodations are inadequate.

Canada Games Council standards require host societies to provide safe, secure and fully serviced accommodations for up to 3,600 athletes, coaches and others throughout the duration of the games.

Consultants said those accommodations are traditionally provided through a centralized village model that includes a large-scale dining hall, mission centre, medical clinic, coach house, equipment storage and participant lounges.

In the NWT, the report said, such a model would require either major capital investment in new, permanent infrastructure or the creation of a temporary athletes’ village with modular structures. Another potential option would be using school classrooms to house athletes, which the report described as “feasible but fragile” and not an “aspirational model.”

The report also assessed existing sports venues in the North and identified several in Yellowknife, Hay River and Whitehorse that could be used to host the games. The consultants said investments would be needed to address gaps including upgrades to Nordic, biathlon, squash and hockey facilities.

There is currently no suitable indoor venue in the NWT for long-track speed skating, the report said, and existing aquatic facilities do not meet national sport organization standards.

Duration of the games

The report further examined the feasibility of the territory hosting the games using a traditional two-phase model or a three-phase model.

Under the usual two-phase approach, the games are hosted over two separate weeks of competition with a turnaround period in between, spanning approximately 17 to 18 days, the report said. This is bookended with opening and closing ceremonies.

The report said this model could strain the NWT’s workforce, logistics and travel systems.

Spreading sports competitions over three phases would reduce the intensity and the number of volunteers needed, but the report noted that could create challenges for competition schedules and athlete travel – and would also mean athletes participating in the middle phase would not get to attend either the opening or closing ceremonies.

Addressing the impact to athlete experience could require an additional ceremony-scale event, which would be costly, the report said, or enhanced artistic festivals and cultural celebrations that are normally a part of the games.

Other options the report considered included reducing the number of sports at the games and increasing the number of paid staff to reduce reliance on volunteers, given the territory’s small population.

Financial considerations

Consultants provided an estimated “planning-level baseline” operating budget of $51.5 million.

Of that, the federal government could contribute $13.75 million and the territory $8.12 million, with $1 million coming from national sponsorship and $32.78 million from the host society.

The report said the NWT government would be the ultimate financial guarantor of the host society.

For the capital budget, or investment in infrastructure, consultants estimated that federal, territorial and municipal governments would each contribute $3 million.

The report estimated that at the upper limit, it could cost the NWT government up to $46.9 million to host the games.

The report said previous games have generated an average of $131 million in economic activity, including $66 million in GDP impacts and $78 million in real spending.

‘Once-in-a-generation opportunity’

The report states that the games “represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase the Northwest Territories to the rest of Canada.”

Consultants said benefits of hosting the games include promoting the NWT as a tourism destination, generating economic and business opportunities in a range of sectors, building volunteer and workforce capacity, and showcasing northern and Indigenous cultures on a national stage.

The report said the NWT could also leverage infrastructure investment to advance priorities, such as using athlete accommodations as long-term community or workforce housing after the games.

“When you really think about it, there is probably not a bigger event that you could host in your territory and the City of Yellowknife than the Canada Games,” consultant Scott Robinson said.

“It is a significant opportunity and it’s more than just a sporting event.”

The report cautions, however, that these benefits are not a given and require strong planning, decision-making, leadership and early identification of clear long-term outcomes to be realized.