An Edmonton committee is being asked to approve a business case for hosting the 2022 Juno Awards so the city can move forward with a bid.
At a November budget meeting, city council passed a motion that the community and recreation facilities branch’s budget be increased by $550,000 in 2021 to bring the Canadian music awards show to Edmonton. The one-time funding boost was contingent on administration coming back with a strong business case for a bid.
A report heading to the community and public services committee Wednesday suggests the city could see a $4.2-million economic boost from hosting the Junos. That’s based on information from recent Juno Awards events held in Calgary, Ottawa and Vancouver.
The Junos are more than just the main awards ceremony, the report suggests; the event comes with a number of other festivities, such as the Juno Cup, songwriting events and a Junos Gala that will require the use of other Edmonton venues.
Organizers would also plan other local events like school visits and workshops.
The report states the Junos would help the city balance the number of sport and cultural events it tries to bring to Edmonton.
“It is one of a limited number of cultural events available for cities to bid on in Canada,” the report reads.
Administration estimates the cost to host the awards would range from $2.3 million to $2.5 million.
During budget deliberations, city councillor Scott McKeen said Edmonton’s chief economist, John Rose, pointed out that investments in festivals and major events like the Junos can be good for the city.
“First of all for quality of life and the mood of the city, but also because it continues to send a signal to outsiders that Edmonton is an exciting vibrant place to be,” McKeen said. “That attracts investment and it attracts talent — all those things that you want.”
McKeen said he will support the business plan, and will encourage his fellow councillors to do the same.
“An investment in the Junos, which we haven’t had for years — with a festival that would lead up to it — I think is a really important way to signal that Edmonton is a vibrant live music community, which it is,” he said.
“We do some cool things here but it’s sometimes hard to get the attention even of Edmontonians of how fantastic the live music scene is here, so the Junos is just one of those events where we celebrate the talent in Canada, but with festival around it we could be packing places with live stages with some local musicians as well. I really look forward to it. I certainly will be thumping the table before council about this and I hope we can get enough votes to support it.”
With city council’s support for a Junos bid, a committee would be set up to further advance the city’s plan and try to obtain funding from the provincial government, Edmonton Destination Marketing Fund and other potential sponsors.
Edmonton last hosted the Junos in 2004 at the Coliseum, when Alanis Morrisette was the host. Rogers Place would be the host venue in 2022, “providing an opportunity to showcase the facility and the Ice District to a national audience in a non-sport capacity.”
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