London won’t be bidding for the 2020 International Plowing Match.
City politicians, meeting as part of the strategic priorities and policy committee, voted against Ward 2 Coun. Bill Armstrong’s push for the Forest City to make a bid for the rural event.
Armstrong first brought up the issue in October where it received lukewarm support from his colleagues.
Despite Armstrong presenting a list of 25 letters of support from the community, committee members voted 9-6 in favour of taking no further action and voted to receive the rest of the report.
The vote does leave the door open for future bids, including one for 2020, but that appears unlikely.
Ward 14 Coun. Jared Zaifman said the entire process seemed rushed.
“I appreciate that this opportunity was brought forward for us to consider but from the start it seemed very rushed and as far as contributions and potential contributions to our economy, I think we need to think seriously about where that money is going to go,” he said.
A staff report prepared for councillors warned a successful bid would require up to 200 city staff and 9,000 hours of work. It would have also meant London would need to fund a start-up grant of $100,000, which could be lost if the event fails to turn a profit, plus discretionary funds that would could range between $150,000 and $550,000.
Armstrong had argued in favour of bidding for the event, saying it would be a boon for the local economy.
“They had one bad year in 9/11, the event happened a few weeks after 9/11. Every year there’s a surplus, every year there’s a legacy to the community,” he said.
However, councillors were put off by the fact the Ontario Plowman’s Association hadn’t shared information about the economic impact previous IPM’s have had. The Seaforth Huron Expositor reported this past March the 2016 IPM had an economic impact totalling $29 million, according to a report from the provincial government.
London last hosted the International Plowing Match in 1928.
This year’s event was held in Walton, east of Goderich in Huron County. Now in its 100th year, the IPM has become a must-attend for high-profile politicians. The leaders of all four of Ontario’s political parties attended, as did Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
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