Olesen Says NWT Can Host 2035 Canada Games
Consultants told Yellowknife city councillors on Wednesday afternoon that the Northwest Territories can host the 2035 canada games, but only with major accommodations and venue upgrades. The feasibility assessment now goes to the Government of the Northwest Territories, which is expected to decide by this fall whether to bid.
Olesen lays out the path
Mike Olesen said the territory can deliver the games “in a really strong and good way,” and added, “There’ll be lots to work through but ultimately, yes, this is something that can happen in the territory in a good way.” His presentation came from Crossing Point Advisory Ltd, which prepared the hosting feasibility assessment for Yellowknife city councillors.
The report does not recommend for or against hosting. Instead, it is meant to help the territorial government decide whether to put in a bid for the 2035 event. That decision carries a hard deadline: by this fall.
Accommodation gaps in NWT
The biggest strain in the report is lodging. Canada Games Council standards require host societies to provide safe, secure and fully serviced accommodations for up to 3,600 athletes, coaches and others for the duration of the games. The report says existing accommodations in the NWT are inadequate.
One option would be a centralized village with a large dining hall, mission centre, medical clinic, coach house, equipment storage and participant lounges. The report says the territory would need either major capital investment in new, permanent infrastructure or a temporary athletes’ village built with modular structures. Using school classrooms to house athletes is described as feasible, but fragile and not an aspirational model.
Venues across three cities
The assessment identifies sports venues in Yellowknife, Hay River and Whitehorse that could be used to stage competition, but it also flags clear holes in the existing setup. Investments would be needed for Nordic, biathlon, squash and hockey facilities, while the territory has no suitable indoor venue for long-track speed skating. Existing aquatic facilities also do not meet national sport organization standards.
The report examines both a traditional two-phase model and a three-phase model. The usual two-phase approach spans about 17 to 18 days, but the consultants said it could strain the NWT’s workforce, logistics and travel systems. A three-phase model would reduce the intensity and the number of volunteers needed, though it would create problems for competition schedules and athlete travel.
That tradeoff is where the bid becomes more than a simple yes-or-no decision. Athletes in the middle phase would miss either the opening or closing ceremonies, and the report says addressing the impact on athlete experience could require an additional ceremony-scale event. For Yellowknife councillors and the territorial government, the next step is not the bid itself but whether the NWT is willing to build, staff and stage a games model that matches the standards it would have to meet.
