Manitoba among 4 provinces interested in jointly hosting 2030 Commonwealth Games
Multi-jurisdictional model makes hosting a scaled-down Commonwealth Games feasible: federation
Four provinces could be part of Canada's bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030.
Manitoba, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island have told the Canadian governing body for the Commonwealth Games that they are interested in jointly bidding for the Games. Other countries may also put forward bids.
Potential hosting partners within Canada had until March 31 to submit their interest, along with the sports they want to host, to Commonwealth Sport Canada.
The federal government and the Ontario regional chief for the Chiefs of Ontario are also supportive of the four provinces' bid.
Brian MacPherson, CEO of Commonwealth Sport Canada, said his organization will now work with the governments to explore the feasibility of a multi-province bid.
"We're quite hopeful that together, we'll be able to co-create an actual bid that'll be submitted to our international federation by Aug. 31," he said.
Recent Canadian bids faltered
The Commonwealth Games are a quadrennial (every four years) multi-sport festival featuring 74 countries that Canada hasn't hosted since 1994, when the Games were in Victoria.
Hamilton attempted to stage a bid for the 2030 Games, which would mark 100 years since the Ontario city held the first iteration of the Games in 1930, but the Ontario government didn't support it.
Alberta's government wouldn't support Calgary's bid for 2030 because of escalating costs, the provincial government said in 2023.
And Victoria tried to bid for the 2026 games, but that plan was shot down by the B.C. government.
Over the years, the price tag for hosting the Commonwealth Games has skyrocketed to around $1 billion, MacPherson said, which made asking one city and one province to shoulder a large share of the costs impractical.
"That was a barrier with every provincial government basically saying, 'No, we're not interested in doing that,' and hence these bid attempts imploded," MacPherson said.
The international federation has responded by permitting hosts to drastically reduce the number of sports and athletes participating in the event to make it more affordable.
MacPherson said that appeals to Canada, which wants to share the reduced costs of a scaled-down event across multiple provinces. It is also prioritizing the use of existing sporting venues, rather than funding new capital projects.
"Any time Canada is planning and delivering a major games, the entire Canadian sports system gets lifted up. New monies come into the sports system, new interest, more participation," he said.
"There's a very good reason to having major games hosted in this country."
Recent hosting examples
In Manitoba, there's a "great proven track record" of major events, said Sports Minister Nellie Kennedy, pointing to the 1999 Pan American Games and the Grey Cup coming to Winnipeg later this year.
"We do a great job of hosting these events and I think it's really important with regards to Manitoba tourism and the economy."
A spokesperson with Prince Edward Island's government pointed to the 2023 Canada Games and the Rivalry Series games between Canada and U.S. women's hockey as recent examples of the province's solid reputation in hosting national and international sporting events.
A chance to host the Commonwealth Games would support the province's tourism strategy, April Gallant said.
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With files from The Canadian Press