A bid by the 2027 Canada Winter Games committee included future plans for a swimming pool and recreation space.

To everyone’s surprise, the Yukon government pulled the plug on the bid on Nov. 14. At that time, with the 2027 Games expected to cost in excess of $185 million, and contributions from partners totalling less than $15 million, Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn said, “it is simply not feasible for the Government of Yukon to proceed with the bid at a cost of $160 million.”

According to a 2027 Canada Winter Games Arena Assessment obtained by the Star, the “enhanced recreation space”, part of the proposed Phase 2, consisting of Option #3 and Option #4, would have been part of the new arena complex proposed by the bid committee. It would have included multi-use courts for pickleball, badminton, volleyball and basketball.

Squash courts were also part of the plan.

A multi-purpose space for workshops, team meetings, fitness activities and athlete warmups was included.

A walking track was part of the plan.

A cafe or food vendor was also part of the plan.

City administrative space would have been included.

Significant equipment and supply storage space would have been provided.

There would have been leasable space available for organizations needing office, wellness or therapy space.

The proposed swimming pool of the future would have included adequate capacity to house an 8 x 25 metre lane pool with spectator seating, and a hot tub and separate therapy pool. The report stated that the cost associated with the pool was excluded from cost estimates in the report, since it would have been added after the Games, if at all.

And of course there would have been event space to host large entertainment shows like concerts for up to 5,000 patrons. The event space would also have been used for the opening and closing ceremonies.

The arena/multi-use recreation centre would have been owned and operated by the City of Whitehorse.

The report was prepared for the Yukon government and the City of Whitehorse by Greenwood Engineering, Cornerstone Planning Group, FaulknerBrowns Architects and BTY Group.

There were two options for 2027 CWG facilities featured in the report. Option #3 was upgrading the existing Takhini Arena. For that option, the new arena would have been built and connected to the south of the existing Takhini Arena, which would have also undergone significant upgrades to the electrical, structural and mechanical systems. Option #4 involved demolishing Takhini Arena and replacing it with a new twin sheet ice facility.

Option 3 would have allowed Takhini Arena to remain open during upgrades except during one summer season, whereas Option 4 would have involved the demolition of Takhini Arena, therefore of course eliminating the possibility of keeping it open during a two-year construction period.

Options 3 and 4 would have had an NHL-sized rink with 3,200 seats and 500 new parking stalls.

Both Option#3 and #4 would have been required to be completed by the first quarter of 2026.

The total capital cost of Option #3 at the time of the report would have been $126,731,000.

The total capital cost of Option #4 would have been $132,438,500.

The annual operating cost for Option #3 would have been $933,233.

The annual operating cost for Option #4 would have been $861,610.

The total life cycle cost for Option #3 in 2027 would have been $219,810,941, or $17,361 per square metre.

The total life cycle cost for Option #4 in 2027 would have been $202,634,533 or $16,622 per square metre.

Therefore, Option #4, replacing the Takhini Arena, would have been the cheaper option in the long run.

The life-cycle cost analyses for all options was based on capital and operating costs over a 40-year period.

There were two previous options in play as Phase 1. Option #1, expansion of the Takhini Arena site, would have included 2,500 permanent seats (with the ability to house an additional 2,500 seats for large events), an ice surface which could have been converted to a dry floor for sports and events, a walking/running track and a variety of sports courts (pickleball, badminton). It would have cost $114,825,300, with an annual operating cost of $687,820.

Option #2 was a standalone arena worth $87,834,600, with an annual operating cost of $522,311.

According to the report, there were problems with both options. There was “little appetite to further explore Option #2” as it would have significant costs associated with staffing and maintaining another arena in the city. That wouldn’t have been an issue with Option #1. However, Option #1 didn’t provide an integrated recreation centre. The above factors essentially ruled out Options #1 and #2.

Also of note is that the report cited a lack of space on the Takhini site for the required number of parking stalls and recommended use of the site directly to the north for additional parking.

In addition, the report states that Options 3 and 4 meet the minimum competition and practice venue requirements for the 2027 Games. It also states that upgrades to the Canada Games Centre and Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre would be required as well, in addition to the arena upgrades. Ultimately, the infrastructure improvements proved to be too big of a mountain to climb.

For the record, the report recommends Option 4 due to more “flexibility related facility design and a lower life-cycle cost over a 40-year future.”

There was foreshadowing that the 2027 CWG bid might have had trouble obtaining the funding required to host the Games. In an email obtained by the Star from Scott Ring of the 2027 Bid Evaluation Committee to Bid Committee chair Piers McDonald, Ring stated “The funding of accommodations for Games participants and a fourth sheet of ice pose significant risks for hosting a successful 2027 Canada Games.”

The email further stated that “the CGC’s Bid Evaluation Committee has decided that it’s in everyone’s best interests to provide the Bid Committee more time to sort out the funding of the participant accommodations and fourth ice surface, and develop plan B options should the funding for these two projects not be secured.”

As a result, in the email, Ring stated that the Bid Evaluation Committee had decided to delay their final report and recommendation to the CGC Board of Directors until Dec. 8, 2022. “It is the Bid Evaluation Committee’s hope that with the extra amount of time, the Bid Committee will take steps to reduce the risk associated with the current bid, specifically through the securing of funding or the development of plan B options.”

Unfortunately, since the Yukon government pulled the plug on the bid, the Bid Committee didn’t have an opportunity to obtain additional funding for the bid, making the Dec. 8 date a moot point.