The City of Kamloops will send a letter of support to the Canadian Olympic Committee as it continues to work on putting a bid together for the 2030 Winter Olympics.
The plan is to move events that were held at Cypress Mountain in 2010 to Sun Peaks, with Kamloops hotels serving as accommodation for media and volunteers.
Mary Conibear with the COC’s Feasibility Team says a letter of support does not mean the City is committing to picking up the costs related to the bid, at least not yet.
“No one is going to commit to actually bidding until they understand what it means for their community,” she told council Tuesday.
“It really is a support in principal. More or less, its we like the opportunity and we think its really extremely positive and there is potential and we support in principal pending conversations around what it means for our community.”
The 2030 Olympics are scheduled to be held from Feb. 8 to Feb. 24, 2030 with the Paralympics to follow from Feb. 28 to March 20, 2030.
B.C.’s Indigenous-led bid for the games includes the Lil̓wat7úl (Líl̓wat), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations, along with the communities of Vancouver and Whistler.
“We want you to get into the canoe with us. We want you to be a part of this journey with us,” Chris Lewis of the Squamish Nation told Kamloops councillors Tuesday.
“We have lot of people in the canoe, head down paddling and I’m just so honoured to be here to day to ask you to join our canoe and continue to move forward in that way.”
It could cost anywhere from $3.5 to $4 billion to host the games in B.C., with taxpayers on the hook for between $1 billion and $1.2 billion.
Public dollars will be going towards security costs, refurbishing some venues, and building new Olympic Villages – including a 1,000 person facility in Sun Peaks featuring a mix of hotel rooms, apartments, townhouses, and two-level stacked townhouses.
The remaining $2.5 billion to $2.8 billion is slated to come from broadcast, sponsorship, ticketing, merchandise, and other revenues.
“I am really heartened to have one of our venues in Secwepemc territory to really talk about cultural enrichment,” Lewis added. “This is such an opportunity for the host nations in this region to talk about their stories, their teachings, showcasing who they are and where they come from.”
Targeted dialogue with the International Olympic Committee isn’t set to begin until December, with a host expected to be chosen in May next year.
The plans will also need provincial and federal government approvals with the impact on communities – including costs – to be discussed in the months ahead, before the bid is completed in early 2023.