If the Songhees Nation wins its bid to host the 2020 North American Indigenous Games, Victoria will contribute $450,000 toward its expenses.
City councillors agreed Thursday to provide $225,000 in funding from each of its 2018 and 2019 budget years with the money coming from surplus funds, subject to receipt of a detailed budget breakdown.
They will also encourage neighbouring municipalities to fund the games at a comparable level — $2.50 per capita for two years.
Victoria councillors endorsed the bid in principle in December, contingent on the Songhees Nation securing senior government funding.
Coun. Marianne Alto, who with Mayor Lisa Helps proposed the city’s contribution, said a provincial announcement on funding “is imminent.”
Victoria is competing against Halifax, Ottawa and Winnipeg.
“This is 5,000 athletes and 2,000 support people from their chaperones to their coaches,” Helps said. “This is 7,000 people. Tourism Victoria put in $10,000 to fund the bid work. So this is something that is widely supported by the community and I think as the capital city and as the capital city in the era of reconciliation, I think this is something we can easily support.”
City surpluses over the past five years have ranged between $1.8 million and $4 million, so there’s no worry about the money being available.
Coun. Geoff Young said that $450,000 is “a pretty significant chunk.”
“Just because it’s out of surplus it’s no less real,” he said. “It raises the question of whether a 2019 budget surplus is actually a surplus if you’ve already spent it.”
Coun. Margaret Lucas, who manages Hotel Rialto, said the $450,000 investment compared to the economic return “is very light in my mind.” She said:“We’re talking about our restaurants, our coffee shops, our hotels. It will be significant economic benefit.”
At the games, First Nations youth ages 13 to 19 showcase their athletic abilities. It draws athletes from all Canadian provinces, a third of U.S. states and about 765 Indigenous nations or tribes.
Alto said one of the components of Victoria’s bid will be “a very significant cultural festival” that, while still under negotiation, “will absolutely be in the downtown core” and will run for the length of the games.
Coun. Ben Isitt agreed it’s significant spending and said he generally favours longer-term investments, “but compared to other types of sporting events I think there’s stronger alignment with the city’s objectives in terms of inclusivity, reconciliation, and the cultural component is supportable.”
The Songhees Nation in February announced its bid to host the 2020 games. Its games committee anticipates $10.4 million in expenses based on those held in Toronto and Cowichan, and in Victoria in 1997, Alto said.
Toronto had an economic benefit in the range of $44 million when it hosted the event in 2017, according to the report presented by Alto and Helps.
For the final bid package, due March 16, the host nation “must include clear expressions of financial support from their partners,” their report says.
Requests for support have been submitted to all area municipalities, the province, the federal government and other potential sponsors.
“Assuming a successful bid, the province has been asked to provide significant funding to support the 2020 [games]. The federal government is expected to match this funding,” the report says.
bcleverley@timescolonist
