The NWT government and City of Yellowknife say they have jointly decided not to pursue a bid to host the 2035 Canada Winter Games.
In a Tuesday news release, Vince McKay, the municipal and community affairs minister, said while there would be benefits to hosting, “the required investment and infrastructure would make it difficult to deliver the games responsibly and sustainably at this time.”
Yellowknife Mayor Ben Hendriksen similarly said the city believes not proceeding with a bid is “the responsible decision for our community.”
“Yellowknife is ambitious about the opportunities we pursue for our community, but ambition also requires us to make choices about where we focus our efforts and resources,” Hendriksen was quoted as saying.
The Canada Winter Games Council said while it was “disappointed” the games won’t be headed to the NWT anytime soon, the decision will not impact its timeline for the 2035 games. The council said it plans to work with federal, provincial and territorial governments to find a new host jurisdiction.
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The Canada Games are the largest amateur multi-sport event in the country. The games are held every two years, alternating between summer and winter editions, with the event bringing together more than 2,000 athletes from across Canada.
While Whitehorse hosted the winter games in 2007, the NWT has never hosted a Canada Games.
The last winter games took place in Prince Edward Island in 2023, and the next are set to take place in Quebec City in 2027.
Feasibility process to inform future decisions
The GNWT announced late last year that it planned to study if hosting the 2035 winter games would be “realistic and beneficial” for the territory before deciding whether to submit a formal bid.
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Yellowknife was expected to play a central role if the games were to take place in the NWT.
A feasibility assessment concluded the territory could host the games, but investments would be needed.
Options the assessment considered for housing athletes included using classrooms or constructing a temporary or permanent athlete’s village that could be repurposed after the games. It further examined using existing sports venues in Yellowknife, Hay River and Whitehorse with investments to address gaps, and spreading sports competitions over two or three phases.
Sport North, the Indigenous Sports Circle of the NWT and the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce all wrote letters to the city expressing strong support for hosting the 2035 games.
An NWT government report summarizing public feedback, however, found there was no “broad consensus” on whether the territory should host.
Of 354 survey respondents, 41 percent said the NWT should not move forward with a bid, 36 percent said they supported a bid, and 22 percent said they wanted more exploration before a decision was made.
The NWT government said it also engaged with Indigenous governments and community leaders on hosting the games.
Tuesday’s news release states information gathered through the feasibility process will be used to inform future discussions about hosting major sporting events in the NWT, and guide investments in sport and recreation infrastructure and athlete development.
“The work completed through this process has provided valuable insights that will help strengthen sport and recreation across the territory and inform future opportunities,” McKay said.
