Orillians should know by the end of April how much money from the Ontario Winter Games will be reinvested into the community.
As the host city of the games, which took place at the beginning of the month, the city received a $1-million grant. That included $100,000 to go into a legacy fund.
Organizers are still going through all of the costs. When the final numbers are in, a committee will determine how the legacy money should be used. If the games came in over budget, they will have to draw from that $100,000 to make up for the shortfall. If it is under budget, that means more money going back into the community.
Regardless of the amount, it must be put toward local sports and recreation.
“There are quite a few areas that could use investment, but we’ll defer to the committee,” said Michael Ladouceur, general manager of the games. “It will have a great impact regardless of how it’s spent.”
Representatives from the games organizing committee, the City of Orillia and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport will be on a committee that will make a recommendation to city council about how to use the money.
Some of the greatest costs associated with the games were hotels, opening ceremonies, marketing and transportation, but the final numbers have not yet been determined.
Regardless, Ladouceur feels it was worth it, and he’s excited to do it all over again in 2020, with the same grant and another contribution to sports and recreation in town.
“One of the reasons we wanted to (apply) for both years is because we knew there would be a lot we would learn from the first one,” he said.
While Ladouceur was pleased with the level of sponsorship for the games, allowing for free admission to all events, he would welcome even more in 2020.
“It was the most successful games in terms of sponsorship,” he said. “It was a community effort through and through.”
Gill Tillmann helped lead that community effort as volunteer chair of the organizing committee. She said it’s too soon to say if she will put her name forward for the same role in 2020, but she will be volunteering in some capacity.
“It’s too difficult for me not to play a part in the organization of the games,” she said. “It was so much work, I see how valuable it will be for the next organizers to have experience on the committee.”
She added: “I would love to allow others to have the chance to be involved with such a great project, and then see where I fall into things.”
