London is moving ahead with an effort to bring the 2019 Junos to the city.
A request for $500,000 from Tourism London to assist with the $1.7 million bid fee received unanimous support on Monday, with city politicians 14-0 in support.
The money would only be required if London was successful.
Tourism London plans to leverage the remaining $1.2-million fee from provincial and other sources.
“I think this is a really great initiative. I’ve been talking about Junos for years. The Tourism London team is always doing awesome work, Chris Campbell and John Winston. I wholeheartedly encourage all our colleagues to support this. It’s great for our city, and there’s huge economic benefits,” said councillor Mo Salih.
Tourism London’s request sparked talk of setting up a fund for future bids, something Tourism London General Manager John Winston says he supports.
“It should be noted and emphasized these situations don’t come up regularly. If there is going to be a contingency fund put in place for bid opportunities, then it should be maintained, if not increased on a year-to-year, to assist in that regard,” said Winston.
Tourism officials estimate the economic benefit of the Junos in London would be in excess of $10 million.
Councillor Harold Usher says he’s enthusiastic about the possibilities tourism officials provide the city.
“I obviously get excited whenever Mr. Winston comes here and comes up with these wonderful ideas. I feel he brings a gift to London whenever he puts out one of these bids, and I really, really do appreciate it,” said Usher.
If London is successful, the city would be the smallest to host the acclaimed awards show since Regina in 2013 and the smallest to ever host it in Ontario. The show is traditionally held in Toronto, which has played host 25 times. Attracting the Junos to London would be a major achievement and a big step forward in the city’s goal of becoming a so-called “music city.”
The 2018 Junos will be held in Vancouver.
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