Governments and sports bodies may be warming to the idea of the NWT hosting the 2035 Canada Winter Games, but feedback published by the territory this week suggests many residents are yet to be convinced.
In a report summarizing feedback about a possible bid for the Games, the NWT government described support as “polarized” and said there is no “broad consensus.”
The territory has said it expects to decide by this fall whether to pursue the Games, which would be the largest sporting event the territory has staged.
More: Imagining a 2035 Canada Winter Games in Yellowknife
Of 354 survey responses, 40 percent strongly opposed hosting, narrowly outnumbering the 39 percent who strongly supported it. A further 15 percent somewhat supported the idea and 5.6 percent were neutral. (No “somewhat opposed” option was provided.)
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Asked what the territorial government should do next, the largest single group – 41 percent – said the GNWT should not move forward with a bid.
About 36 percent said the territory should bid, while 22 percent wanted more exploration before any decision.
The report presents that second set of numbers as a majority favouring “either bidding or continuing due diligence,” though the numbers equally show that nearly two-thirds of respondents stopped short of endorsing a bid.
“Overall, the engagement did not reveal a clear consensus either for or against hosting the 2035 Canada Winter Games,” the report concludes, describing “a community that is interested in understanding the opportunity, conscious of the associated challenges, and looking for evidence that hosting can be delivered in a way that aligns with territorial priorities.”
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Who responded?
The survey, which ran from June 8-25, drew responses overwhelmingly from the capital.
Yellowknife accounted for 284 responses, or 80 percent of the total. Hay River provided 30 responses and Fort Smith 22, while eight came from Inuvik, five from Fort Simpson and one from Behchokǫ̀.
Respondents “repeatedly asked whether benefits would reach communities outside Yellowknife,” the report states, with some suggesting a bid was only acceptable if it included regional training camps, travel support and legacy investments across the territory.
Cost was the concern raised most often. Respondents questioned whether the GNWT could afford the Games “without creating new debt, increasing taxes, or diverting money from essential services,” the report states, adding many comments “reflected limited confidence that major-event costs would remain controlled.”
A feasibility study released in June estimated a baseline operating budget of $51.5 million and put the maximum cost to the territorial government at $46.9 million, depending on the hosting model chosen.
A recurring message was that basic needs must come first. Respondents pointed to the NWT’s housing crisis, healthcare, addictions, food security and the cost of living as higher priorities than hosting the Canada Games.
While some respondents saw games-driven investment as a chance to build housing the NWT needs (to accommodate athletes before being repurposed, for example), others saw the existing shortage as evidence that hosting is “unrealistic or inappropriate.”
Some respondents questioned whether the territory has enough volunteers and workers to pull off a national event.
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People who backed hosting cited economic development, tourism and raising the NWT’s national profile, alongside a vision of lasting infrastructure, athlete development and community pride.
Organizations appear to have delivered more positive feedback than individual residents.
Indigenous and community governments, business representatives and sports organizations – including Sport North and the Indigenous Sports Circle NWT – were broadly supportive of continuing to explore a bid, the report states.
Yellowknife city councillors voted in July to keep talking with the GNWT about the Games, though several described their support as conditional, raising concerns about cost overruns and the scale of housing required.
This week’s report was prepared jointly by the territorial government and Crossing Point Advisory, the consulting firm that produced the feasibility study.
