A team of independent consultants is evaluating Halifax’s bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games reports CP.
The consultants were hired by the municipal, provincial and federal governments in early February after receiving the proposed budget, and they are expected to deliver their findings by mid-to-late March. According to CP the evaluation will include an assessment of the economic benefits of hosting the Games.
The municipality is paying $100,000 for an economic impact review while the province’s cost is $118,000 for a review of infrastructure and the federal government is paying $70,000 for a review of the operating budget.
Duff Montgomerie, deputy minister of health promotion and protection, said the three levels of government have been planning all along to do a risk analysis of hosting the Games, reports the Chronicle Herald.
He said, “it has to be the right size for the province and it has to leave a lasting and meaningful legacy. A project this large and this huge requires a lot of due diligence”.
Montgomerie said, “the risk assessments currently underway will provide us with the independent, expert advice we need to determine the most appropriate next steps”.
He added the public will know the cost of the Games by May 9 when the bids are filed with the Commonwealth Games Federation, but the city, province and federal government may agree to release the information earlier.
Dan English, the municipality’s chief administrative officer said, “until we’ve received all of the relevant information from external reviews staff cannot complete its detailed analysis. Once that is done, (municipal) council will be in a better position to make effective and well-informed decisions on behalf of taxpayers”.
His comments came after it was announced that details of Halifax’s bid to be presented to municipal council next week were postponed until the consultant’s report was ready.
Meanwhile Halifax 2014 announced Wednesday that it is committing support to the Turks and Caicos Islands Commonwealth Games Association through its CGA Partner Program.
The bid committee has sourced a track scoreboard to be used during the 2007 Carifta Games being held in Turks and Caicos in April, and the scoreboard will also be used for future track events hosted by the islands.
