2011 Canada Games Bids to be Reviewed

Experts from across Canada will visit four Nova Scotia regions from May 29 to June 1 as part of the process aimed at selecting a host community for the 2011 Canada Winter Games.

The 2011 Canada Winter Games bid review committee will assess and rate the bid submissions and conduct site visits in the Valley, Halifax, Truro, and Antigonish regions and provide feedback to area organizers. This feedback will be used to prepare each region's final bid submission to the Canada Games Council.

"We are proud to have four dedicated communities bidding to host the 2011 Canada Winter Games," said Duff Montgomerie, assistant deputy minister of Health Promotion and Protection. "As we move forward we remain committed to conducting an open, transparent and fair process to ensure Nova Scotia will host the best winter games possible."

Each of the four Nova Scotia regions will host the 2011 bid review committee for a one-day site visit. During the visit, the regions will have the opportunity to present their bid strengths, host a tour of their community and facilities and highlight why they are the best choice to host the 2011 Games.

"This is really the best opportunity for each community to demonstrate why they should move on to the next round of the bidding process," said Lindsay Hugenholtz, director of games for Health Promotion and Protection. "Our role has been to support each bid and make sure the communities are as prepared as possible. We want this to be a positive experience for the athletes and visitors who come to Nova Scotia in 2011."

The 2011 bid review committee is made up of representatives from across Canada. At the end of the evaluation the committee will submit a comparative analysis to the minister of Health Promotion and Protection, who will then meet with regional bid committees to discuss the next steps in the process.

"We are fortunate to have such a group of experts come to Nova Scotia and participate in the site visit and final recommendation process," said Mr. Montgomerie. "This group brings years of experience and expertise and we have every confidence that their recommendations will ensure we put forward the best that Nova Scotia has to offer."

Members of the 2011 bid review committee include:

• Marie-Claire Pierce: Marie-Claire is from New Brunswick, worked on the 2003 Canada Winter Games and was instrumental in New Brunswick's successful bid to host the 2010 IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics.

• Blair McIntosh: Blair is the director of games for the Sport Alliance of Ontario and the chef de mission for Team Ontario for the 2007 Canada Winter Games. He has lead or evaluated more than 100 bids for major sporting events for Ontario.

• Bob McMahon: Bob has assisted in organizing many major sporting events such as the 1999, 2003 and 2007 Pan American Games, the 2003 Western Canada Games, the Canada Summer Games in 2005 and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

• Chris Morrissey: Chris is the general manager of the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon. He is responsible for all aspects of the organizing and delivery of the Games.

• Edmond Richard: Edmond recently retired from the Quebec Ministry responsible for Sport and Physical Activity where he was involved in developing Team Quebec and supporting several major events. Since 2005 he has consulted in such areas as sport management, promotion, communications and strategic planning.

• Dena Coward: Dena is currently living in Vancouver and working for the Vancouver 2010 organizing committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as the director of Paralympic Games.

• Kim Browning: Kim has extensive experience in community, provincial, and international events. He lives in Winnipeg and is the director of marketing for Sport Manitoba.

The 2011 bid review committee visits will begin in the Valley on May 29. They will then spend a day in Halifax, Truro, and finish in the Antigonish region on June 1.

The Canada Games Council will oversee a formal bid process and select the official host of the 2011 Games. The Canada Games Council's formal process is scheduled to take place in the fall of 2006.