With a new provincial government working on its budget and the Victoria 2022 Commonwealth Games bid team working feverishly to have its submission ready by Sept. 30, timing was the enemy for those looking to bring the event to the city.
Last Thursday, in advance of a scheduled Aug. 28 meeting with bid committee chair David Black, B.C. Finance Minister Carole James announced that the Province of B.C. would not be supporting the bid with $400 million in funding and a guarantee to cover any cost overruns.
James stated that the NDP were elected with B次元官网网址渁 very clear set of prioritiesB次元官网网址� to make life more affordable for B.C. residents and add to long-term economic growth around the province. She said the government will consider future bid proposals B次元官网网址渨hen there is more time to do the work necessary to protect B.C. taxpayers from financial insecurity.B次元官网网址�
Suzanne Weckend, a member of the bid committee and former national team high-performance triathlete, told the B次元官网网址 in an interview Sunday that the compressed timelines B次元官网网址渕ade it trickier for us to fully explain and express the legacy pieces and the actual costsB次元官网网址� to government and the public.
B次元官网网址淥ur bid really wanted to be a catalyst in the community B次元官网网址� once the multi-sporting high performance event had taken place, there were legacy items B次元官网网址� infrastructure and capacity, with people having volunteer experience B次元官网网址� that would remain,B次元官网网址� she said.
While built legacies such as and the family housing at the University of Victoria B次元官网网址� both initially constructed for the 1994 Commonwealth Games B次元官网网址� come to mind when one thinks post-Games, less visual benefits are also part of the package, Weckend said.
B次元官网网址淭here were 4,000 to 5,000 people who were trained in CPR for the 1994 Games,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭hat a legacy piece that you donB次元官网网址檛 really think about.B次元官网网址�
Competitively, the high-performance coach and athlete development that ramp up when a city hosts an event such as the Commonwealth Games will go down as a missed opportunity, she added. The bid was being assembled in co-operation with plans already in the works by national sport organizations in Victoria and elsewhere.
James said the government analyzed the bid committeeB次元官网网址檚 work and found that too many details remained unknown to gain a full understanding of B次元官网网址渢he costs, obligations and risks associated with hosting such a large-scale event.B次元官网网址�
Weckend agreed that given the time crunch, the bid committee didnB次元官网网址檛 focus a lot of time on getting its message out there. B次元官网网址淚n my opinion, the people who were really vocal and negative about it, they didnB次元官网网址檛 have a lot of information.B次元官网网址�
Stan Bartlett, chair of the Grumpy Taxpayer$ of Greater Victoria, was among the more vocal opponents of the 2022 bid. He insisted he wasnB次元官网网址檛 opposed to the Games themselves, but was responding to what he felt was a lack of advance planning.
B次元官网网址淭he magnitude of these games is huge,B次元官网网址� Bartlett said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not 1994. This is a huge undertaking and it canB次元官网网址檛 be rushed if you want to do it properly. Four years is not long enough.B次元官网网址�
While some of the proposed projects had merit, Bartlett felt throwing a B次元官网网址淐ommonwealth Games extravaganzaB次元官网网址� wasnB次元官网网址檛 how the bill should be paid. B次元官网网址淵ou should be able to fund them on their own if theyB次元官网网址檙e good projects.B次元官网网址�
Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins said she wasnB次元官网网址檛 surprised at the provinceB次元官网网址檚 decision, based on the short time frame and unanswered budget questions. Her municipality and the other 12 in the Capital Region were being asked to provide a total of $25 million in in-kind services, while the province and federal governments were being asked for $400 million each.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 very hopeful the province will now look at providing dollars for transport and housing in our region, B次元官网网址榗ause $400 million can go a long way,B次元官网网址� she said.
Like James, Desjardins isnB次元官网网址檛 ruling out a future bid for Greater Victoria and remains hopeful for those opportunities down the road. B次元官网网址淭his is a tremendous region for these types of events, but we need to do it in a proper timeline and with proper infrastructure.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址� with files from Kristyn Anthony
