The City of Orillia has officially submitted a bid to host the 2026 Ontario 55+ Winter Games.
Will LaFrance, the city's economic development coordinator, says the Ministry of Sport plans to announce the winning bid in November for the games that will take place in February 2026.
The 2018 and 2020 Ontario Winter Games and 2024 Ontario 55+ Winter Games were previously held in Orillia. LaFrance says all three events were a success.
"Each set of games has established a legacy fund that has and will be re-invested into local programming and sports infrastructure," he explained.
"Feedback from the Ministry of Sport and the participants of the games (in Orillia) has been overwhelmingly positive."
LaFrance says the local planning committee learned "a great deal" from the 2024 Ontario 55+ Winter Games and now have a blueprint to make the 2026 55+ Games "ever better."
"Most aspects of the 2024 games ran very smoothly," he said. "Transportation, food services and accommodations are always a challenge for large-scale multi-sport events, but the Ministry of Sport has reduced the scope of food and transportation requirements for the upcoming 55+ Games, and accommodations costs are no longer the responsibility of the host community."
LaFrance says the municipality values the economic impact that sport tourism has on the city and region, which is why they want to host the games again in 2026.
"Leaning on the city's proven track record of hosting previous Winter Games, we strive to further establish Orillia as a premier sport and event hosting destination," he said.
"Orillia feels a strong connection to the Games Ontario Program and wants to showcase our great city to games participants across the province."
The Ministry of Sport estimates the games will generate over $1.5 million in local economic activity.
"The Winter Games bring thousands of participants, coaches, family members, and friends to Orillia in February when tourism is slower," LaFrance said. "Participants will stay in hotels while they compete, contributing to the municipal accommodation tax program, which is then used to further support the tourism industry in Orillia."
LaFrance says hosting the games would once again take a full community effort.
"We have a strong and passionate volunteer base," he said. "Many locals have volunteered for all three Winter Games that have been hosted in Orillia."
LaFrance says Orillia will look to showcase "one of the best sporting infrastructures in the province" if it is awarded the 2026 games.
"We have tremendous community assets and sporting infrastructure Including facilities like Rotary Place Arena and the Orillia Recreation Centre, and a close proximity to ski hills makes it suitable for Orillia to host a variety of winter sports," said LaFrance.
