There's hope the Juno Awards will one day take place in Greater Victoria, even after Winnipeg was named Thursday as official host of the 2014 music awards show.
The Capital Region Music Awards Society, which submitted a 2014 bid, is now in a holding pattern until it receives further clarification from the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
"In the coming days, we will attempt to gain a better understanding of CARAS's selection process and the reasons for their decision," society president Ray Parks wrote on the group's website.
"While we wish we could tell you the reasons why Greater Victoria was not chosen by CARAS, they made the decision without visiting Victoria or meeting with our team."
Prior to Thursday's announcement, Victoria was considered a host-city frontrunner for 2014. Despite having a smaller arena (capacity 7,000) and lacking infrastructure in other areas deemed integral to hosting the annual Junos bash, the picturesque nature of the city was considered a strong factor heading into the selection process.
The music-industry festival features events spread over a week, culminating with a nationally televised awards show that draws upwards of two million viewers.
"The CARAS board of directors thoroughly reviewed the bid and arrived at a decision that balanced all relevant and collateral factors," Melanie Berry, president and CEO of CARAS and the Juno Awards, said in a statement.
"While each bid remains confidential, Victoria put in an excellent bid package."
Plans to bring the 2013 Junos to Vancouver Island were underway since 2009. When it was announced that the 2013 host would be Regina, whose arena is comparable in size to Victoria's Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, the team behind the local push focused its sights on 2014.
The B.C. government had committed $1.5 million in an effort to bring the Juno Awards to Greater Victoria in 2014. Municipal contributions of about $450,000, plus an additional $450,000 (in kind and in capital) from the private sector were also part of this year's local bid. It is expected those funds will remain available to local organizers until the provincial government's fiscal year end of March 31, 2013.
No funds will be paid out in the event Victoria is not awarded the Junos.
