City moves ahead with Arctic Winter Games

The city has agreed to take on the responsibility of hosting the 2012 Arctic Winter Games, with a unanimous vote Monday night that will have the mayor sign off on the hosting agreement.

The city has agreed to take on the responsibility of hosting the 2012 Arctic Winter Games, with a unanimous vote Monday night that will have the mayor sign off on the hosting agreement.

The vote came after Councillors Doug Graham and Florence Roberts questioned the document at last week’s meeting. They voiced concerns around how the multi-sporting event would be funded and the wording of the document.

Roberts was concerned about the absence of a financial agreement with the territory on playing host to the northern multi-sport event.

Graham raised issues with the responsibilities the city would be taking on by signing the agreement. He pointed to scenarios that are typically dealt with by the host society that are outlined in the agreement as a city responsibility.

Last week, parks and recreation manager Linda Rapp told councillors the funding agreement is not generally worked out until after the hosting agreement has been signed. The agreement is drafted in a fairly typical way as well and is very similar to what the city would have signed when it last hosted the Games in 2000.

While both councillors voted in favour of the agreement last night, in a subsequent interview Graham said he’s still not comfortable with the document.

“There’s a number of things in that contract that, to me, are senseless,” he said, adding there was no point in voting against the pact regardless.

Earlier this year, Graham also argued initially against the bid and eventually voted in favour of it, noting the Games will come anyway so he would get on-board and try to make sure the city stays within budget.

It’s expected the event will cost $6.1 million, though Graham thinks it will be higher.

“I think that it’s going to cost us a whole lot more than we anticipate,” he said last night. “And so, in anticipation, we were going to put aside $50,000 a year; well, it didn’t work this year ... like it’s not going to work next year.

“So the taxpayers are still going to have to pick it up, and to me, I feel like we have that responsibility to taxpayers to at least question what’s going on with their money.”

While the city will be responsible for the Games and the financing around them, Graham noted the city has been fortunate to have the territorial government aboard to assist with cash contributions for such events in the past.

After Mayor Bev Buckway signs off on the agreement, work to establish a host society that oversees the Games will begin. Hiring of the key staff for the event is planned to be done by the fall.

Coun. Jan Stick was absent from Monday’s meeting

The city has agreed to take on the responsibility of hosting the 2012 Arctic Winter Games, with a unanimous vote Monday night that will have the mayor sign off on the hosting agreement.

The vote came after Councillors Doug Graham and Florence Roberts questioned the document at last week’s meeting. They voiced concerns around how the multi-sporting event would be funded and the wording of the document.

Roberts was concerned about the absence of a financial agreement with the territory on playing host to the northern multi-sport event.

Graham raised issues with the responsibilities the city would be taking on by signing the agreement. He pointed to scenarios that are typically dealt with by the host society that are outlined in the agreement as a city responsibility.

Last week, parks and recreation manager Linda Rapp told councillors the funding agreement is not generally worked out until after the hosting agreement has been signed. The agreement is drafted in a fairly typical way as well and is very similar to what the city would have signed when it last hosted the Games in 2000.

While both councillors voted in favour of the agreement last night, in a subsequent interview Graham said he’s still not comfortable with the document.

“There’s a number of things in that contract that, to me, are senseless,” he said, adding there was no point in voting against the pact regardless.

Earlier this year, Graham also argued initially against the bid and eventually voted in favour of it, noting the Games will come anyway so he would get on-board and try to make sure the city stays within budget.

It’s expected the event will cost $6.1 million, though Graham thinks it will be higher.

“I think that it’s going to cost us a whole lot more than we anticipate,” he said last night. “And so, in anticipation, we were going to put aside $50,000 a year; well, it didn’t work this year ... like it’s not going to work next year.

“So the taxpayers are still going to have to pick it up, and to me, I feel like we have that responsibility to taxpayers to at least question what’s going on with their money.”

While the city will be responsible for the Games and the financing around them, Graham noted the city has been fortunate to have the territorial government aboard to assist with cash contributions for such events in the past.

After Mayor Bev Buckway signs off on the agreement, work to establish a host society that oversees the Games will begin. Hiring of the key staff for the event is planned to be done by the fall.

Coun. Jan Stick was absent from Monday’s meeting.