NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA 2018 ONTARIO WINTER GAMES
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The Orillia 2018 Ontario Winter Games have announced that the Games have raised $170,000 to be put toward a legacy project for re-investment into the local community.
The legacy that has resulted from the Ontario Winter Games will be presented to City Council on Aug. 13, 2018, to determine the method and strategy behind its re-investment. The legacy dollars have been developed through a combination of grant funding through a hosting grant by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport ($100,000) and profit earned directly through the Games ($70,000).
“We are absolutely thrilled, honoured and very excited to announce that the Ontario Winter Games will leave a lasting legacy on our community for years to come,” said Gill Tillmann, Chair of the Orillia 2018 Ontario Winter Games. “Our goal was to operate the Games on budget in order to receive the full $100,000 from the Ministry for the legacy. The fact we managed to earn an additional $70,000 is a testament to our amazing community support.”
The Ontario Winter Games were majority funded by the Province of Ontario who awarded Orillia a $1,000,000 hosting grant through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. $100,000 of this grant was to be held as a legacy fund and/or contingency fund guarantee for Games operations. The athletes contributed $202,000 through registration fees which established the Games core funding.
Beyond its core funding the Orillia 2018 Ontario Winter Games financial success is due in large part to its sponsorship campaign which produced $134,000. This fundraising campaign was anchored by its corporate sponsor Jim Wilson, Chevrolet Buick GMC, its volunteer sponsor Hydro One and featured a total of 75 community sponsors. In addition, the Games raised $53,000 via municipal contributions from the City of Orillia, Chippewas of Rama First Nation, City of Barrie, the Towns of Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Huntsville, Township of Oro-Medonte and the County of Simcoe.
In addition to the legacy project being presented to Council, the Games have also revealed, via a Steam Pro 2.0 assessment by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance, the combined spending from visitors to the area along with expenditures from event organizers totaled $2.4 million, supporting $4.2 million in economic activity in Ontario, including $3.2 million in the Orillia area.
“The economic impact measured by the Games helps showcase how important hosting the Games is for the area,” said Michael Ladouceur, General Manager for the Orillia 2018 Ontario Winter Games. “The Games are held during a shoulder season for tourism, and helped bring millions in spending to our tourism industry.”
The City of Orillia will once again play host to the Ontario Winter Games in 2020. Preparations are already underway and anyone interested in a leadership role on the Games Organizing Committee are asked to contact the City of Orillia at 705-323-3549 or via email at [email protected].
