Waterloo region to woo Canada Games officials Tuesday

Key officials from the Canada Games Evaluation Committee will be touring Waterloo region Tuesday to see how local sports facilities stack up against those in other Ontario cities.

The region is competing against Sudbury, Niagara region and Ottawa for a chance to host the 2021 Canada Summer Games.

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Marty Deacon, with the Region of Waterloo, said the evaluation committee will be visiting the University of Guelph, Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Waterloo and Chicopee Ski and Summer Resort.

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She said the visit is also an opportunity to show the committee all that the region has to offer in terms of culture, entertainment and enthusiasm. The day includes the following events:

• An early morning song and dance performance by Lincoln Heights Public School students.
• A meet-and-greet with the mayors of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.
• A pep rally with members of the community at TheMuseum in downtown Kitchener.
• A visit to Victoria Park.
• A visit to ChristieDigital for an interactive presentation.

While here, the committee will check to see that suggestions made in August 2016 have been implemented and that the region's bid committee has demonstrated commitment to the creation of "legacy" venues.

"What can the community gain? What can the community do afterwards?" she said. "Some of them are facility legacies, like Chicopee, which will have some great enhancements. Other legacies might be the community piece. We're trying to bring all of the region,we're embracing diversity, our indigenous community, our newcomers, so we're bringing the entire community together like never before."

After touring Waterloo region, the evaluation committee will head to Sudbury. The winner of the 2021 Canada Summer Games bid won't be announced until the end of March.