Universiade Bid Gets Backing
04/10/2008 06:07
Feds, provinces agree to support Edmonton with cash, clout
EDMONTON - Edmonton's bid to host the 2015 University Games got a big dose of adrenaline Thursday when the federal government agreed to throw its political and financial weight behind the $400-million event.
The injection of "in principle" support from Prime Minister Stephen Harper includes a vow to put up about one-third of the cost -- a commitment that was needed to allow the city's bid to proceed to the international round.
The announcement also puts an end to weeks of anxiety among bid organizers who became concerned in the summer when the government declared support for Toronto's 2015 Pan-American Games bid. Insiders feared Ottawa would be reluctant to support two major athletic competitions in one year. "Now we can officially declare that Edmonton and Canada will bid for the summer 2015 Universiade," said Eric Newell, chancellor of the University of Alberta and chairman of the bid committee.
The announcement was attended by many of the city's Conservative MPs, including Rona Ambrose and Rahim Jaffer. "The bid for Universiade has always been really well organized and we know Edmonton can pull it off, so it wasn't hard to get support," said Edmonton-Strathcona MP Rahim Jaffer.
More from the Edmonton Journal.
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
It’s really hard to tell it’s federal election time, isn’t it?