The 2027 Canada Winter Games (CWG) bid committee is looking to leave another legacy for the Yukon.

The committee held a press conference Wednesday morning to summarize what will be presented to the potential Games hosts – the City of Whitehorse and the Yukon government.

Committee chair Piers McDonald and committee member John Glynn-Morris hosted the media event.

The proposed operating budget for the Games is $37 million. P.E.I.’s budget for the 2023 CWG is $35 million.

As well, a required new arena in Takhini would cost a projected $115 million.

“We are an independent committee that went out and studied the requirements of the Games and put together a proposal for the hosts to consider,” explained McDonald.

“They will consider it and approve it or amend it as they wish and send it on to the Canada Games Council for final approval. The Canada Games Council makes their decision as to whether or not we are capable and competent to host.”

The bid committee was formed in 2021.

Members put together a proposal and did an assessment of the facility requirements for the Games.

The proposal has to meet Canada Games standards for facilities and sport protocols that are set by every sport that’s participating in the Games. The submission must also meet the athlete requirements that have been established for the Games.

No other Canadian jurisdiction has bid to host the Games.

“If the (Canada Games) council decides we are not able to host ... then they will refer the Games to the next host province,” said McDonald.

“Just because we are the only bidder from the Yukon, doesn’t mean we are automatically entitled to host the Games.”

In addition, the bid has to meet the financial framework established by the Canadian Council of Sport Ministers.

The committee submitted a First Phase report to the Canada Games Council’s technical evaluation committee in March.

“We did a very comprehensive review of all the sport facilities that would be required ... some of the standards we negotiated with the Canada Games technical review committee which came to visit Whitehorse at the time,” recalled McDonald.

“You have to agree to meet the standard, otherwise you won’t be able to host the Games.”

Potential challenges to the bid include the need for a fourth arena and an adequate housing facility. They are also the key components in a potential legacy of the 2027 Games.

McDonald said a legacy component is required to obtain federal funding to invest in housing. The bid committee is proposing to build a new housing facility at Yukon University, as was done for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse.

There may be 22 sports involved in the 2027 Games.

Twenty sports have been selected, and the bid committee is recommending Arctic Sports and Dene Games be added to the roster.

At least 2,000 athletes would be competing in the Games over a two-week period from mid-February to March.

More than 2,000 coaches, support staff and dignitaries would attend the Games.

Thousands of volunteers would be required to stage competitions and care for athletes and other visitors, including serving 7,000 meals a day.

“It’s an extensive effort to house and manage everything,” noted McDonald.

The host society would also hold a sports ministers conference in Whitehorse during the Games.

With the proposed operating budget for the Games at $37 million, $13,750,000 would be supplied by the federal government. The Yukon government would kick in $8.62 million.

The remainder would be raised by the host society through sponsorship and value-in-kind contributions.

Other sources of funding would include ticket sales and merchandise revenue.

McDonald said inflation has “not fully, but partly” been factored into the Games budget.

For instance, a staff of 100 people would be hired at a cost of $10 million. Transportation costs would also factor into inflationary concerns.

McDonald said they are not planning on running a deficit for the Games.

The capital budget for the Games is $9 million. It consists of $3 million each from the feds, YG and the City of Whitehorse.

That would go toward refurbishing sport venues, and athletes’ beds and sports equipment.

Regarding facilities, a gymnastics facility in Whitehorse is being built.

The housing facility would cost about $60 million. McDonald said the additional housing at the university would enable students to not have to look for alternative housing, thereby helping to, but not entirely alleviate, the housing crisis in Whitehorse.

A new $115-million, 3,000-seat arena would host the opening and closing ceremonies. It would be built at the Takhini Arena site, which would also feature a refurbished Takhini Arena, which opened in the mid-1980s.

Funding for the new facilities would likely come from a combination of the federal, territorial and City of Whitehorse governments.

McDonald, who was the territory’s NDP government leader from 1996 to 2000, called the new facilities a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the growing needs of Whitehorse.”

He added it would be a “major legacy piece for the community, much like the Canada Games Centre was for the 2007 Games.”

The committee is proposing having Fort St. John, B.C. host the long track speed skating in the world-class Pomeroy Sport Centre. Fort St. John is on board with the proposal.

The long track speed skaters would come for the opening and closing ceremonies but stay in their own village in Fort St. John.

“Fort St. John has proven themselves to be very able of setting up a satellite village,” related McDonald. “All the long track speed skating athletes would go down to Fort St. John in a charter plane.

“They would be hosted by (the) Fort St. John community and they would be brought back to return home with their teams … a couple of days before the teams left so that they can see other sports in progress.”

In the spirit of reconciliation, McDonald said, Indigenous sport should be showcased in a national event like the CWG.

In 2007, Arctic Sports and Dene games were featured as demonstration sports.

McDonald figures a decision on the additional sports would be made within a year, but added there are plans to showcase the sports regardless of whether they’re adopted as regular sporting events.

McDonald said enough provinces and territories have to decide to send teams to the Games for the recommended sports.

A “critical mass” of at least 75 per cent of the provinces and territories would be required to adopt the Arctic Sports and Dene games.

The bid committee is proposing to add $1 million to the First Nations Sports Trust Fund though the Games.

A major cultural festival would also take place based on First Nations culture. McDonald said it would be “a major feature of the Games.”

Other features of the 2027 Games would include country foods as part of the Games’ menu.

The other Yukon communities would also be involved through sports workshops and art and cultural programs.

There are plans to have a web-based TV channel to telecast not only the Games, but the cultural evening entertainment and events include pre- Games storytelling to profile the athletes and others involved with the event.

A national marketing campaign would also be used to promote the Yukon during the Games.

“We want to do this on steroids,” said McDonald. “We know that we can do some exciting things and we know that particularly, Yukoners love to see stories about themselves on the national media.”

McDonald said fundraising is the biggest “workout” for the host society and that the usual amount available from local sources is about $2 million to $2.5 million.

Therefore, the amount they’d be looking for from national sponsors would be around $11 million.

The bid will be presented to city council on Tuesday evening. The following week, council will vote on the proposal.

The YG timeline for reviewing the bid isn’t known, but the proposal will be going to the Canada Games Council bid evaluation committee on Sep. 23.

That committee is scheduled to visit Whitehorse Oct. 12-13. It can accept or reject the proposal, or recommend changes to it.

McDonald said there are a couple of aspects of the bid that the Canada Games Council could see as “deal-breakers”. They include the athletes’ village not being in one place and the lack of a fourth arena.

Regarding whether the Games are worth such a tremendous investment, Glynn-Morris said, “Yes, we absolutely do feel really confident that this is worth the investment from a bunch of perspectives.”

Glynn-Morris said the perspectives included celebrating and investing in and empowering young Canadians, bringing the community together for a common cause, the legacy pieces (the arena and housing facilities) which enhance quality of life in the Yukon and the opportunity to contribute to the national fabric of Canada. That includes contributing to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

The Canada Games Council will award the 2027 Canada Winter Games in November.

McDonald added if the bid is successful, the proposed new facilities are required to hold national-class competitions as test events prior to the Games by 2026.

Therefore, construction on the arena would have to start as soon as 2023.

Construction on the housing project would have to start by late 2023 or 2024.