Jun 07, 2008 04:30 AM
by Rob Ferguson Queen's Park Bureau, Toronto Star
The Ontario government is backing a $1.77 billion local bid to host the PanAm Games in 2015, seeing it as an audition for the Olympics, the Toronto Star has learned.
Now it's up to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government to decide whether to get on board with Ontario, Toronto and about a dozen municipalities in the Golden Horseshoe in pushing for the summer games.
"We like what we've seen," a senior provincial government source said yesterday after officials finished poring over the business plan for the bid, which will now be sent to Ottawa for review.
The bid envisions "four to six" new Olympic-sized pools for the games that would be held in cities stretching from Niagara, around Lake Ontario to Durham and north to the Barrie area.
"That's just the tip of the iceberg," added the source. "There are all sorts of facilities that would have to be built or refurbished."
They could include Hamilton's Ivor Wynne Stadium, home to the Tiger-Cats of the CFL.
One government official put the number of venues required to host the games at 70 or more, such as Rogers Centre, BMO Field on the CNE grounds and dozens of others for sports ranging from track and field to swimming to basketball.
"It will be a benefit to the economy of the Golden Horseshoe and it could leave a lasting legacy of recreational sports facilities," the provincial source said, estimating the financial impact during the games alone at $45 million from an estimated 10,000 athletes and 250,000 visitors from 42 countries.
The PanAm Games, open to countries in the Americas, are held every four years.
The last was held in Rio de Janeiro in 2007 and the next will be in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2011.
While no money needs to be put on the table yet, Ontario government sources said a cost-sharing plan would see the province and the federal government each put up 35 per cent, or $619.5 million.
Toronto and the other municipalities hoping to host some of the 300 sporting events would pay 30 per cent or $531 million, likely with help from the private sector.
The bid budget covers both capital costs to repair and replace worn-out sports venues as well as operating costs for running the games, which last came to Canada in 1999 when Winnipeg was the host city.
Cost will undoubtedly be a delicate point as the economy slows and government revenues are squeezed. City Hall sources warned earlier this spring that Toronto is willing to sign on as a main bidder providing Queen's Park picks up most of the tab.
But a spokesperson for Mayor David Miller said yesterday that winning federal approval for the games is the immediate goal.
"At this point talking about the funding is premature," said Don Wanagas.
"We're waiting to hear a response from the federal government. Once we see the business case that everybody's ready to get together on this we can talk about financing."
Federal officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The provincial source warned municipalities would have to make "firm commitments for the projects that they want."
At $1.77 billion, the bid value is well within the $1.5 to $2 billion originally estimated by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), which will only support the bid if all levels of government are behind it, the provincial source said.
COC chief executive Chris Rudge told the Star in March that the Golden Horseshoe is its preferred site for the PanAm Games because southern Ontario has one-third of Canada's population but is "dramatically underserviced as far as sports facilities and infrastructure."
Winning the PanAm Games would be a psychological boost for the area given Toronto's two previous failed Olympic bids and Hamilton's failure to win the Commonwealth Games.
The last major, international multi-sport event held in the area was the 1930 British Empire (now Commonwealth) Games, staged in Hamilton, a provincial source said.
Other cities believed to bidding for the 2015 PanAm Games are Lima, Peru; Bogota, Colombia; and Caracas, Venezuela.
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