After 23 years, Victoria could once again host the Commonwealth Games.
“I think we have a chance,” Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said of a possible bid to host the games consisting of nations that belong to the Commonwealth of Nations. “Victoria is a global city. It’s a mid-size city and we’ve had the games here before in 1994 and it was spectacular.”
“We’d have to look at our infrastructure because some of it that was built for the games is 23 years old but some of it is still relevant,” Jim Reed, 1994 Commonwealth Games executive vice-president, said.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games were initially awarded to Durban, South Africa, but the city was stripped of its rights to host the games due to financial difficulties.
The search for a new host city has been fast-tracked.
“The conversations are happening,” Helps said. “We’ll have to decide pretty soon whether it’s a go or not.”
Hosting the games would cost an estimated $500 million, not including capital costs. Commonwealth Games Canada estimates the economic benefit to B.C. would be double that amount.
As for provincial support for a Victoria bid, Green leader Andrew Weaver said one of the first things he’ll be doing is knocking on NDP Leader John Horgan’s door to discuss bringing the games to the provincial capital now that their parties forged a deal to form a minority government.
Toronto, which hosted the 2015 Pan Am Games, is exploring the idea of hosting the Commonwealth Games, but a staff report released Tuesday advised against a bid due to high costs, risks and a lack of provincial support.
A delegation from the London-based Commonwealth Games Federation visited both Toronto and Victoria last week.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games will take place in Gold Coast, Australia.
If chosen as the Canadian candidate city, Victoria would have to compete against cities in Australia, Malaysia and England.
— With files from Neetu Garcha
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