I think it'd be great for the nation's capital to bid for the Commonwealth Games. There have been a successful Francophonie Games in 2001. Ottawa-Gatineau'd be the first city to have hosted both!
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Saturday » July 23 » 2005
Ottawa 'interested' in Commonwealth Games bid
Winning city could collect $500M to build facilities to host 2014 event
Vito Pilieci
The Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, July 23, 2005
The City of Ottawa has filed a letter with Commonwealth Games Canada, expressing its interest in becoming the Canadian bidder for the 2014 games.
The deadline for municipalities to file their letters of interest for the games was yesterday. So far Ottawa, Hamilton, Halifax and the Regional Municipality of York -- which includes Newmarket, Aurora and Markham -- have been confirmed as expressing interest in hosting the games.
Commonwealth Games Canada will now begin the process of reviewing cities that have expressed interest. In December, the organization will announce which city it will support in its bid for the 2014 games.
Ottawa's letter leaves the door open for the city to begin organizing an official bid for the games. If the letter had not been submitted, it would no longer have had the option of competing for the games.
The Commonwealth Games are the third largest multi-sporting event in the world, encompassing 4,500 athletes, 1,500 coaches, 4,000 media members, more than 625,000 spectators and a worldwide television audience of more than one billion people.
The city now must open a debate at city council to see whether Ottawa will create a bid committee and set aside a budget to compete for the sporting event.
Jan Harder, councillor for Bell-South Nepean, said submitting the letter was the right thing to do.
"In no way does this mean that we have to proceed. (Yesterday) was the last day that we could have provided that letter of interest and still be in the game," Ms. Harder said. "This now gives us the opportunity as a council to discuss this."
Ottawa is already playing catchup. Hamilton, which lost its bid to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games to India, has already approved creation of a bid team and set aside $400,000 for its campaign. The Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats have also signed on to help boost the city in its attempt to host the event.
Maria McRae, councillor for River Ward, is enthusiastic about supporting a City of Ottawa bid.
"Any means for a G8 capital to showcase itself in a positive way, I stand behind," said Ms. McRae. "The City of Ottawa should do its best to win this."
Just to submit a bid to Commonwealth Games Canada costs a municipality $50,000. To compete in a heated war with other Canadian municipalities vying for a chance at the games will cost at least $350,000 more.
Ottawa last tried for the Commonwealth Games in 1994. The city was eliminated when the selection committee decided Hamilton, Halifax and Montreal would continue through to the final round of selection.
At the time, Ottawa spent $25,000 on a feasibility study to determine what had to be done in order to host the games. Another $350,000 was spent on putting together the city's bid.
Had the city been successful, it would have had to spend between $55 million and $157 million on new stadiums and infrastructure for the 10-day event. The city would have also had to pay $35 million in operating costs for the games.
However, if Ottawa is successful in winning the Canadian bid for the games, the federal and provincial governments could chip in as much as $500 million to build new sporting infrastructure in the city.
Both levels of government committed $250 million each when Hamilton became Canada's bid city trying to host the 2010 games.
That money is actually paid out, however, only if the Canadian city is selected.
And, according to a feasibility study conducted for Hamilton's 2010 bid, the event would create an economic impact of more than $1.4 billion.
"One-point-four billion from a single event that takes place over a summer? It's a question of doing the math," said Ms. McRae. "I think that the City of Ottawa will rally behind this."
City council will now have to debate whether Ottawa moves forward with an official bid to try and become Canada's representative for the games.
Even if Ottawa wins the Canadian bid, the city will have to compete with other municipalities from other Commonwealth nations.
The host city for the 2014 Commonwealth Games will be announced in October 2007.
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Saturday » July 23 » 2005
Ottawa 'interested' in Commonwealth Games bid
Winning city could collect $500M to build facilities to host 2014 event
Vito Pilieci
The Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, July 23, 2005
The City of Ottawa has filed a letter with Commonwealth Games Canada, expressing its interest in becoming the Canadian bidder for the 2014 games.
The deadline for municipalities to file their letters of interest for the games was yesterday. So far Ottawa, Hamilton, Halifax and the Regional Municipality of York -- which includes Newmarket, Aurora and Markham -- have been confirmed as expressing interest in hosting the games.
Commonwealth Games Canada will now begin the process of reviewing cities that have expressed interest. In December, the organization will announce which city it will support in its bid for the 2014 games.
Ottawa's letter leaves the door open for the city to begin organizing an official bid for the games. If the letter had not been submitted, it would no longer have had the option of competing for the games.
The Commonwealth Games are the third largest multi-sporting event in the world, encompassing 4,500 athletes, 1,500 coaches, 4,000 media members, more than 625,000 spectators and a worldwide television audience of more than one billion people.
The city now must open a debate at city council to see whether Ottawa will create a bid committee and set aside a budget to compete for the sporting event.
Jan Harder, councillor for Bell-South Nepean, said submitting the letter was the right thing to do.
"In no way does this mean that we have to proceed. (Yesterday) was the last day that we could have provided that letter of interest and still be in the game," Ms. Harder said. "This now gives us the opportunity as a council to discuss this."
Ottawa is already playing catchup. Hamilton, which lost its bid to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games to India, has already approved creation of a bid team and set aside $400,000 for its campaign. The Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats have also signed on to help boost the city in its attempt to host the event.
Maria McRae, councillor for River Ward, is enthusiastic about supporting a City of Ottawa bid.
"Any means for a G8 capital to showcase itself in a positive way, I stand behind," said Ms. McRae. "The City of Ottawa should do its best to win this."
Just to submit a bid to Commonwealth Games Canada costs a municipality $50,000. To compete in a heated war with other Canadian municipalities vying for a chance at the games will cost at least $350,000 more.
Ottawa last tried for the Commonwealth Games in 1994. The city was eliminated when the selection committee decided Hamilton, Halifax and Montreal would continue through to the final round of selection.
At the time, Ottawa spent $25,000 on a feasibility study to determine what had to be done in order to host the games. Another $350,000 was spent on putting together the city's bid.
Had the city been successful, it would have had to spend between $55 million and $157 million on new stadiums and infrastructure for the 10-day event. The city would have also had to pay $35 million in operating costs for the games.
However, if Ottawa is successful in winning the Canadian bid for the games, the federal and provincial governments could chip in as much as $500 million to build new sporting infrastructure in the city.
Both levels of government committed $250 million each when Hamilton became Canada's bid city trying to host the 2010 games.
That money is actually paid out, however, only if the Canadian city is selected.
And, according to a feasibility study conducted for Hamilton's 2010 bid, the event would create an economic impact of more than $1.4 billion.
"One-point-four billion from a single event that takes place over a summer? It's a question of doing the math," said Ms. McRae. "I think that the City of Ottawa will rally behind this."
City council will now have to debate whether Ottawa moves forward with an official bid to try and become Canada's representative for the games.
Even if Ottawa wins the Canadian bid, the city will have to compete with other municipalities from other Commonwealth nations.
The host city for the 2014 Commonwealth Games will be announced in October 2007.