The Yukon Party official Opposition is asking the Liberal government to provide an update on plans and costs for its bid to host the 2027 Canada Winter Games (CWG) in Whitehorse.

The request follows a CBC Yukon interview with Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn, which aired Monday.

“During the interview, the minister suggested that the costs to hold the CWG were becoming unmanageable, and raised the idea that hosting them may be out of reach for smaller jurisdictions,” the Yukon Party said.

“In March, the minister of Community Services told media (the Star) that the Games would cost more than $100 million to stage and should come close to breaking even.

“Later, he admitted that the CWG “may be $50 million; it may be $150 million; I’m not sure. One hundred million seemed like a reasonable estimate to answer a reporter’s question.”

The Yukon Party added, “By not taking the CWG seriously and fumbling the file, the minister now appears to be putting the Games at risk.”

“Since last year, the minister of Community Services has been adamant that his government is prepared to host the 2027 Canada Winter Games, and even $150 million was a possible cost he was prepared to spend,” said Watson Lake MLA Patti McLeod, the party’s community services critic.

“However, he continues to be inconsistent with his information on files, and now appears to be backtracking in his recent statements.

“We’re now asking the government to provide an update on plans for the Yukon to host the Games and what is the current estimated cost.”

Since the former Stan McCowan Arena in Porter Creek has been deconstructed since the city hosted the 2007 Games, a replacement, costing scores of millions of dollars, would be a requirement for the 2027 Games.

As well, any new CWG infrastructure would need to host national test events at least one year prior to competition.

That planning requires local sports associations to bid for national sports events, the official Opposition noted, so any infrastructure needs completion before the spring of 2026.

Currently, none of the new infrastructure has been budgeted in the government’s five-year capital concept, nor has it formally been made public, the party added.

“Yukon athletes, parents, and businesses who are already looking ahead to the Games deserve to have clear answers from the Liberal government,” McLeod said.

The Star asked cabinet communications staff about the Yukon Party’s concerns and its request for an update, and received this brief emailed response 
Thursday afternoon:

“We are focused on continuing to work with our partners, including the City of Whitehorse and the Canada Winter Games Bid Committee, to prepare to bring the 2027 Canada Winter Games to the Yukon.”