Given a weekend to ponder Friday's announcement that Prince George was the name in the envelope for the 2015 Canada Winter Games, I'm not sure anyone has come to grasp fully what the event will mean for the city -- and the region.
And, for both sides of the coin on whether it's a good thing or not, it may take some time to sink in, a mindset that will clear up as the plans are unveiled piece by piece.
Yes, we are going to pay extra for the two weeks of national-level sports. But what it does mean is that some of the tax dollars we all see evaporate from take-home pay, funds siphoned off by the sticky fingers of provincial and federal governments, will at least make its way back to our town in the form of facility upgrades.
Of course, there is just one taxpayer. Absolutely true. However, had one of the 'K' towns been the victor in the highly-competitive bidding process, that money would have gone there -- and still come off our paycheques. Even being cynical, instead of lose-lose, it's lose-win.
One is clearly better than the other, don't you think? At least the taxation can be rationalized as a return on investment, for a change.
For those who are against this event, there is a proactive way to soften the anticipated hit on the pocketbook. Put a frown on your face all you want, but get involved -- roll up your sleeves, stick your nose in the process, and don't just sit back and play armchair critic. The more people get involved and pitch in, the less it will cost in the end, and the better things will turn out. The Canada Winter Games are going to be here in 2015, whining about it isn't going to change that, and a lot of people in this community have proven that you get more done by acting than you do by sitting around and complaining. In fact, one of those accomplishes nothing.
It's still worth wondering why Prince George won. Those who gathered at the Kin Centre Atrium on Friday morning can say all they want that they were 100 per cent sure this city would emerge, but that's disingenuous -- there wasn't a person in the room who would've been surprised to hear "Kamloops" or, to a lesser extent, "Kelowna" slip out of Premier Gordon Campbell's mouth.
Confidence and the power of positive thinking? Sure, nothing wrong with those things. But the emotional outburst included the elements of surprise and shock.
Having spoken to journalists in both Kelowna and Kamloops who have covered the process, there is a feeling our city won in part because we could use the infrastructure money more than they could. The arena facilities in both southern cities are newer, the ski hills are far sexier, and simply put their need for other upgrades is far, far less than we have here. Aside from CN Centre, which opened in 1995 -- 15 years ago -- the arenas here are all more than 35 years old, and they show it.
Those issues are consoling Kamloops and Kelowna backers, who believe David beat the Goliaths based on need more than on current capacity. It's not hard to see the point.
Regardless, this event will be a watershed moment in the same way the 2000 Scott Tournament of Hearts put the city squarely in the sights of the country's curling world, the 1998 Legion track event put us on the map, or the 2001 Air Canada Cup let Hockey Canada know we're here and we're willing. The Canada Winter Games will put our community's spirit on display, and there is no question that is one area where Prince George never fails to impress.
--- The Cougars lost five of six exhibition games, albeit without top players Brett Connolly and Martin Marincin for most of the games. The Spruce Kings started the season with three home-ice losses, and their schedule now gets tougher.
Another long, long winter for junior hockey in this city? Ugh -- it's only been snowing in the Hart for two weeks now (kidding, folks) and people are starting to shield their eyes. If UNBC's basketball program only has one way to go, then the junior hockey clubs can only head the other direction.
