Waterloo Region’s bid to host thousands of athletes from across Canada has come up short.
It was announced Thursday that the 2021 Canada Summer Games would be taking place in Niagara.
The two southern Ontario communities had been among four finalists for the games, along with Ottawa and Sudbury.
The host community is expected to receive a $100-million economic impact from the games, which will involve more than 4,000 athletes.
Had the games taken place in Waterloo Region, some events would have been held in Guelph, Brantford and Hamilton.
Hosting the games would have also meant several million dollars’ worth of improvements for local sports infrastructure, including new asphalt tennis courts at Chicopee Ski and Resort.
A local team comprised of bid organizers, volunteers and politicians travelled to Toronto for Thursday’s announcement, all wearing matching red jackets.
After finding out that Waterloo Region would not host the games, they were nonetheless enthused about what the bid process had brought to the community.
“This was a really great opportunity for our communities to come together, to rally like they never have before,” said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic.
“I think it’s really set the foundation that we can build upon for other events and other bids in the future.”
About $60,000 was spent on preparing the local bid. That cost was jointly shared by the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo.
Ontario last played host to the Canada Summer Games in 2001, when they took place in London.
With reporting by Tyler Calver
