Moncton and Saint John will soon find out whether they have been awarded the 2029 Canada Summer Games.
Members of the bid evaluation committee spent the past two days visiting a number of sites in both cities.
It is one of the final steps in the process before the Canada Games Council awards the bid for the Games.
Catherine Gosselin-Després, chair of the bid evaluation committee, said there are several standards and criteria they look for.
“Making sure that the sport venues are good, that the [athlete] village, opening and closing ceremonies [are good],” Gosselin-Després told reporters in Saint John on Thursday.
“Pretty much everything related to the Games we analyze, we talk about, and we ask questions and propose ideas if there’s other things to propose.”
Games expected to cost nearly $40M
Each Canada Summer Games features two weeks of competition, between 16 and 20 sports, approximately 4,600 participants, and over 5,000 volunteers.
Officials said the two most recent Canada Games have generated more than $200 million in overall economic activity in the host province.
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Bill MacMackin, one of the co-chairs of the bid committee, said the Games will have a budget of just under $40 million in total.
The federal and provincial governments will cover half of that while Moncton and the Saint John region have each been asked to contribute around $2 million.
MacMackin said the remaining funding will come from a number of other elements, including corporate partnerships and ticket sales.
“It’s a chance to raise New Brunswick’s image across the country and draw Canada here and unite them together around a fun, exciting, positive experience,” he said.
First joint bid for the Canada Games
Officials also noted that this will be the first time that two communities have worked together on a joint bid for the Games.
MacMackin said there are a number of benefits to this approach, particularly from a financial perspective.
“When you look at the sporting assets between the two communities, we each collectively had all the things we needed. I mean, granted, some of them need refreshes and upgrades,” he said.
“And I think in this era, it’s a fiscally prudent way to do it. We can do it without a massive capital spend required to build new facilities.”
A final announcement is expected in April, though Gosselin-Després said she does not believe there are going to be any surprises.
The 2029 Canada Games will mark the third time hosting for New Brunswick. Saint John previously hosted the 1985 Canada Summer Games while the 2003 Canada Winter Games were held in Bathurst-Campbellton.
