2030 Commonwealth Games?

[SteelTown]

This is actually a good idea

Should Hamilton turn Bayfront Park into an island for the Commonwealth Games?
A draft games proposal says carving up the park would allow currents to wash out of the algae-ridden harbour — making it safe for triathletes and city residents alike in 2030.

https://www.thespec.com/news-story/9...wealth-games-/

Call it a competitive cleanup?

A bid proposal for the 2030 Commonwealth Games says Hamilton should turn Bayfront Park into an island to flush out the algae-plagued harbour and make it safe for swimmers.

The suggestion to carve up the waterfront park comes in a draft proposal — which still needs council approval — to host the 100th anniversary of the international competition that started in Hamilton in 1930 as the British Empire Games.

The privately-funded proposal comes from a group of Commonwealth boosters, Hamilton100, and includes still-theoretical ideas to build or renovate "legacy" facilities that would benefit residents long-term after temporarily hosting 4,300 athletes competing in around 20 summertime sports.

Suggestions range from relatively modest renovations to an existing McMaster University pool complex to contentious plans to build a new convention centre and multi-sport arena downtown.

But nestled in the middle: a vow to make the harbour near Bayfront Park swimmable for triathletes by 2030 — "and for generations to come."

That sounds like a tall order for a harbour struggling with sewage overflows, toxic blue-green algae and a depressing record of beach closures due to high bacterial counts. (Last year, public health experts recommending closing Bayfront beach indefinitely.)

The bid document suggests a novel if unproven solution: carving Bayfront Park into an island — or maybe two.

Reshaping the park, it argues, would improve water circulation around the landfill-turned-greenspace, in the process washing out bird-poop bacteria that lingers in stagnant water at the beach and nearshore "dead zones."

The plan would create a wide channel to separate Bayfront Park parking from a newly-made island. A smaller channel would cut through the rocky east arm of land that encircles part of Bayfront beach.

"The resulting water movement is expected to fully address the green algae issue," the documents states confidently.

Is that necessarily true?

Well, city staff generally endorsed the "high-level" draft proposal's vision in a report going to councillors Wednesday — but also carefully note the "feasibility" of some commitments has yet to be tested.

(The high-level draft does not contain many specific project cost estimates. But in general, hosting the Commonwealth Games is expected to cost close to $1 billion, with at least two-thirds covered by provincial and federal governments.)

A public health study released earlier in 2019 did find that improved water circulation could help disperse bacteria at the partially enclosed Bayfront beach.

But just getting rid of one arm of encircling land at the beach would cost close to $10 million, said Chris McLaughlin, executive director of the Bay Area Restoration Council (BARC).

The Commonwealth Games bid actually lists BARC as an advisory body. McLaughlin said he did attend working group meetings to provide background on the history of cleanup efforts and the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan.

But the algae-busting island plan? That was news to him.

He hastened to add the goal outlined by games organizers — safe swimming by 2030 — sounds great. By then, the city will have capped industrial pollution at Randle Reef and opened an upgraded sewage treatment plant, two "major milestones" for the harbour cleanup.

On the other hand, the algae scourge befouling the harbour each summer is a worldwide phenomena — and not considered a simple fix, McLaughlin said. Climate change, development pressure, urban run-off and sewage overflows could all play a role.

"Making the harbour safe for swimmers is an important goal and it remains one of our biggest challenges," said McLaughlin, who added he is happy to provide advice on achieving that goal. "But the algae issue is more of a systems problem, a watershed problem."

Interestingly, the idea of a Bayfront island is not actually new.

Consultants working on a waterfront master-plan for the city in 1985 recommended the then-Lax landfill be transformed into "Hamilton Island."

That island of dreams would have featured a Crystal Palace, Imax theatre, life-size replicas of the sunken Hamilton and Scourge warships — and maybe even an underwater tunnel to an adjoining island through a "transparent tube."

With or without a triathlete island paradise, councillors will have to sign off on some version of a host proposal by Nov. 22 if they want to stay in the race for a centennial games in Hamilton.

That's the deadline to submit a proposal to Commonwealth Games Canada, which will choose which city vies internationally to host the 2030 event.

[thistleclub]

The City would have to come up with $300+ million — $500m, if the Commonwealth Games' CEO is to be believed – before this would ever get traction.

There seems to be have been no cost attached to the project. The one estimate in the article comes from BARC, who have only a tangential association with the bid. BARC's executive director pegs the cost for severing the park's northern, harbourside arm at $10 million. But the costs would be much higher. There's also the cost of building a canal at the southern, landside end of the park. Plus the cost of 3-4 bridges. Plus the cost contingencies that come with breaking open a 40-acre landfill that was created in the late '60s and early '70s. While unlikely to cost as much as Randle Reef containment, it will still come at a cost (time as much as money).

It might not even deliver the desired outcome. The Hamilton100 consultants' projection is far more optimistic than a public health study released earlier this year indicating that improved water circulation could help disperse bacteria — possibly E.coli largely credited to goose poop, not the cyanotoxins arising from blue-green algae (which might still remain a problem post-islandification). Not to mention the wild card of rising lake levels.

[ScreamingViking]

It's a neat idea, and would add interesting features to the park even without the range of environmental benefits touted (though I think the park is great as-is; there must also be other things that may mitigate the water quality issues)

But aren't there other fairly local options for hosting the triathlon that already exist or would be much cheaper to build/implement?

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Interesting idea. Anything that improves the water quality of the harbour is fine by me, cost notwithstanding.

I'd love to see a pool at Bayfront overlooking the beach. It would be reminiscent of Vancouver...

[thistleclub]

Overlapping interests in bid to bring Commonwealth Games to Hamilton
(Hamilton Spectator, Andrew Dreschel, Nov 6 2019)

On Wednesday PJ Mercanti and other members of the Hamilton 100 committee, a community coalition seeking to bring the 2030 Commonwealth Games to the city, will provide councillors a high-level presentation of their plan.

At the end of it, Mercanti is hoping council will give the group the thumbs up to submit the proposal to Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) and so proceed to the next phase of the bid.

At this point, council has made no financial commitment and won't be expected to until next spring, assuming, that is, Hamilton wins CGC's nod as the preferred candidate to put before the Commonwealth Games Federation, which ultimately decides where the games are held.

There is pile of city hall politics around all this.

Some councillors are bedazzled by the possibility of snaring federal and provincial infrastructure funding and captivated by the promise of related economic and social spinoffs. Others are more skeptical of the ballyhooed offshoots and see the games as a circus want, one that could cost the city up to $300 million.

Read it in full here.

--

Recent CG costs/benefits, before inflation…

2018: $1.2B CAD hosting cost, $2.1B CAD economic impact
2014: $1.0B CAD hosting cost, $1.3B CAD economic impact
2010: $5.5B CAD hosting cost, $6.6B CAD economic impact
2006: $1.1B CAD hosting cost, $1.5B CAD economic impact

[thistleclub]

From the June 2019 Hamilton 100 delegation to council:

preliminary cost estimates from the 2018 Commonwealth Games held in Australia reveal the price tag was over $1.8 billion. The cost to hold the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland in 2014 and the 2022 games in Birmingham, England is about $1.5 billion, said Commonwealth Games Canada officials. They said about $1 billion is used for operational costs, while $500 million is for capital improvements.

That $1.5B estimate has been echoed by Brian MacPherson, CEO of Commonwealth Games Canada.

The $300M cost estimate appears to be based on the scenario of the federal government paying half and the other half being split between the province and the municipality.

In an equal cost-sharing scenario, Hamilton would be able to host the Games for $300M if it opts not to build anything.

[ScreamingViking]

Council gave the go-ahead for next steps. But time is ticking... $1.3 billion to $1.4 billion cost estimate.
https://www.thespec.com/news-story/9...ng-to-proceed/

A committee organizing a bid for Hamilton to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games has received the blessing of councillors to continue a pitch to land the sporting event a century after it was first held in the city.

Hamilton 100 will forge ahead with a flurry of preparations to provide details to council about the cost and logistics of setting the stage for what's estimated to be a billion-dollar-plus production.

...

The Hamilton 100 committee faces a Nov. 22 submission deadline to keep the domestic ball rolling with more key dates to follow.

However, city staff told councillors Wednesday that they face a tight deadline to get their ducks in a row. That includes getting a handle on what kind of recreation facilities will be required and just how much money the municipality will have to contribute to the cause.

Staff will have a better idea of those details, including financial commitments, by the Feb. 19 general issues committee meeting — if Hamilton has been shortlisted and is still in the running at that point.

If council still gives its blessing, the committee will submit the second part of its hosting proposal to Commonwealth Games Canada by March 9, with a Canadian winner to be selected by March 31.

At that point, talks begin between the successful Canadian contender and federal and provincial governments begin to nail down a binding agreement, staff explained.

...

Danko asked staff to return Jan. 15 with a list of outstinding questions to give council more lead time on what could be at stake.

More here, including use of existing Pan-Am facilities for cycling and diving and reference to the accomodation component that could become affordable housing afterward:
https://www.thespec.com/news-story/9...nwealth-games/

The proposal includes building three multi-sport complexes, with the largest being 98,000 square feet that will accommodate squash, badminton and eight basketball courts and will have retractable seats.

FirstOntario Place, its future uncertain as councillors consider demolishing it, could be incorporated into Hamilton 100’s plan, by hosting gymnastics, for example. A new convention centre, which is also being discussed by the city, would be used for boxing and hosting the media area.

Other existing venues would be used for the games, including Mohawk Sports Park for field hockey, Gage Park for indoor tennis, McMaster University for some swimming events and Confederation Park for indoor beach volleyball. Bayfront Park would be the location for the triathlon.

Some events would be held in other areas. Cycling, which would be held at the National Cycling Centre in Milton, diving at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto and netball in Mississauga.

The proposal, said Hamilton 100 president P.J. Mercanti, would also include building residences in the east end and downtown to accommodate 1,500 games officials. He suggested to councillors during the Nov. 5 general issues committee meeting that once the event is over, the residences could be converted into affordable housing.

...

Mercanti said the group is budgeting up to $1.4 billion for the event, comparable to the 2018 games’ cost on Australia's Gold Coast, which was $1.8 billion, while the Glasgow, Scotland, games in 2014 and the 2022 games in Birmingham, England, are about $1.5 billion.

He said capital upgrades for the event are estimated to be roughly $450 million, while operational costs are about $950 million.

[thistleclub]

Glasgow 2014 ($1.0B)

The Athletes' Village in Dalmarnock was home to about 7,000 competitors and officials during the Games last summer.

The 38.5 hectare site was reconfigured afterwards and now features 300 private homes, 400 homes for social rent and a new 120-bed care home for the elderly.

Post-Games…

Once home to around 6,500 athletes, the 33-hectare site has been converted into 700 houses and flats and has the feel of a Scandinavian village, with wood-cladded properties arranged in neat rows.

Gold Coast 2018 ($1.8B)

Before it becomes the home away from home for 6,600 athletes and team officials, media from around the Commonwealth gave the Commonwealth Games Village a test run.…

Situated on 29 hectares, including seven hectares of open parklands, the Village features 18 new buildings; housing 1,252 dwellings - that's 1,170 apartments and 82 townhouses.

Post-Games…

In a first for the Gold Coast, all 1,251 apartments and townhouses in the $550 million Grocon-built Athletes’ Village will be offered solely for long-term rent.

The new residential and retail centre will include 18 apartment buildings, 82 double-storey townhouses and will be called “Smith Collective”.

At the heart of the precinct will be a 6,280sq m retail and dining hub, with major supermarket chain Woolworths and retail giant BWS already securing tenancies.

Birmingham 2022 ($1.5B estimated)

A magnificent new Athletes Village in Perry Barr will be home to over 6,500 athletes and officials during the Games and later provide housing for the people of Birmingham.… Following the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the village will be converted into 1,400 homes for the community. This is part of a long-term regeneration plan for Perry Barr and the surrounding areas that will eventually see 5,000 new homes.

More recently…

Lendlease’s £350m project to build the athletes’ village for the 2022 Commonwealth Games is the most likely in the programme to bust its deadline, council bosses have revealed.

Birmingham council leader Ian Ward said the project (pictured), which will eventually see 1,400 homes built in the city’s Perry Barr district, was the job causing organisers the biggest headache.

Hamilton 2030 ($1.4B estimated)

The proposal, said Hamilton 100 president P.J. Mercanti, would also include building residences in the east end and downtown to accommodate 1,500 games officials. He suggested to councillors during the Nov. 5 general issues committee meeting that once the event is over, the residences could be converted into affordable housing.… Mercanti said the group is budgeting up to $1.4 billion for the event, comparable to the 2018 games’ cost on Australia's Gold Coast, which was $1.8 billion, while the Glasgow, Scotland, games in 2014 and the 2022 games in Birmingham, England, are about $1.5 billion.

[ScreamingViking]

Interesting variation in housing outcomes.

I wonder if Mercanti misspoke or was misquoted about the number. Otherwise, that's a pretty big question for staff to delve into.

[Djeffery]

Are they looking at the athletes staying in current student residences?

[thistleclub]

Recall Hamilton 100's last time at council:

Coun. Sam Merulla vocally opposed the idea of a Games bid two years ago, calling it a "basket of lunacy" given Hamilton's Pan Am stadium troubles and infrastructure deficit.

But on Wednesday, the Ward 4 councillor said he now views the Games as a "basket of opportunity," in no small part because of the opportunity to build affordable housing via the Games budget.

The athlete's village traditionally represents the vast majority of capital costs associated with hosting the Games.

Mercanti estimates $450 million in capital upgrades; Birmingham's athlete's village will cost £350 million, which (even with the depressing effect of Brexit on the pound) works out to around $600 million.

Council's enthusiasm for a Games bid is directly tied to the possibility of making real inroads in affordable housing, so they should have been crystal clear about the numbers.

The viability of the student residence option depends on when the Games fall. UK & Canada Games have tended to fall in July & August, but the window varies, and climate change also renders seasonality somewhat moot.

British Empire Games
Hamilton: Aug 16-23, 1930
London: Aug 4-11, 1934
Sydney: Feb 5-12, 1938
Auckland: Feb 4-11, 1950
British Empire and Commonwealth Games
Vancouver: July 30-Aug 7, 1954
Cardiff: July 18-26, 1958
Perth: Nov 22-Dec. 1, 1962
Kingston: Aug 4-13, 1966
British Commonwealth Games
Edinburgh: July 16-25, 1970
Christchurch: Jan 24-Feb 2, 1974
Commonwealth Games
Edmonton: Aug 3- Aug 12, 1978
Brisbane: Sept 30-Oct 9, 1982
Edinburgh: July 24-Aug 2, 1986
Auckland: Jan 24-Feb. 3, 1990
Victoria: Aug 18-28, 1994
Kuala Lumpur: Sept 11-21, 1998
Manchester: July 25–Aug 4, 2002
Melbourne: Mar 15-26, 2006
New Delhi: Oct 3-14, 2010
Glasgow: July 23-Aug. 3, 2014
Gold Coast: Apr 4-15, 2018
Birmingham: July 27-Aug 7, 2022

Not sure how much the spring/summer student population impacts stock levels.

[Djeffery]

I don't think climate change would really affect when the games would be held in Southern Ontario. They would almost definitely be held in summer to take advantage of summer travel. Having it anytime else would really reduce ticket sales.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

I don't think climate change would really affect when the games would be held in Southern Ontario. They would almost definitely be held in summer to take advantage of summer travel. Having it anytime else would really reduce ticket sales.

The last time Canada hosted (Victoria, 1994), they ran in the second half of August. The 1930 Empire Games was much the same footprint; August 16-23, 1930.

In any case, council is doing a sprint if they're looking to lock this in by Nov 22. For comparison's sake, Adelaide dropped its bid for the 2026 Games six months after commissioning a feasibility study.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

The last time Canada hosted (Victoria, 1994), they ran in the second half of August. The 1930 Empire Games was much the same footprint; August 16-23, 1930.

So like I said. Same goes for all the major international games competitions Canada has hosted (aside from the obvious winter ones), Olympics, Commonwealth and Pan Am, all have been in the summer travel season.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

So like I said. Same goes for all the major international games competitions Canada has hosted (aside from the obvious winter ones), Olympics, Commonwealth and Pan Am, all have been in the summer travel season.

I never suggested that it'd be otherwise — just that the window moves, which it does.

ETA: According to CBC Hamilton, “Hamilton 100 is suggesting the dates of June 28 - July 7, 2030 for the games.”

That article also contains more detail on the athlete’s village. They don't plan to build one, opting for an officials' village:

And part of this, Hamilton 100 says, is to use this "opportunity" to create affordable housing and support a "clean and green" sustainable community.

As such, the plan proposes to build residences in Hamilton's east end and downtown area to accommodate 1,500 games officials in around 500 - 700 new units.

Hamilton 100 says that the residences, which would range from one to three bedrooms in size, would be converted after the games into affordable housing.

Athletes and team officials, meanwhile, would be housed in student residences at McMaster University, which will be emptier in the summertime.

There are upwards of 6,700 households/16,000 Hamiltonians on the wait list for affordable housing. It takes 2+ years to thread that line, and on top of that, existing affordable housing supply is aging out of its agreements (allowing developers to convert them to market rent or condos) or just falling apart. It's next to impossible to secure funding to address any of this, so the missed opportunity here is enormous.

Hamilton Spectator, Sept 19 2018:

If affordable shelter was ever an election issue, it certainly is now.

Rents in the open market are skyrocketing and homeless camps are dotting the city. This is putting increased pressure on Hamilton's social housing stock, which is falling into disrepair. This bid could offer a chance to make a massive dent in that problem, unlocking government funding at unprecedented scale.

An estimated $400 million is needed just to maintain the existing supply in the next 20 years, let alone adding to it.

[SteelTown]

Hamilton OKs plan to bid for 2030 Commonwealth Games, but wants to scrutinize it first
Estimates indicate hosting the games would cost about $1.5B

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamil...ames-1.5358854

The city has given the OK to a community group looking to bring the 2030 Commonwealth Games to Hamilton, but it will do a risk assessment to make sure it's not on the hook for unforeseen costs.

Hamilton city council voted Wednesday to order an independent peer review of whatever financial model Hamilton 150 will use to make a pitch for the games. It also wants its staff to look at the proposal and identify any risks, including cost overruns.

"The peer review is to make sure we're comfortable with their financial model," said Coun. Brad Clark of Ward 9. "It's not our proposal, it's theirs."

Otherwise, city council is supporting Hamilton 100, a group advocating that the city play host to the games 11 years from now. The group's plan includes three new multi-sport complexes, more affordable housing, and upgrades to facilities using what it hopes is money from the provincial and federal governments.

Hamilton 100 outlined its vision earlier this month with a document that doesn't include dollar figures. The 2030 games are an important anniversary, the group says, because Hamilton hosted the first version of the games in 1930.

Each Canadian city interested in hosting the games will have to submit Part 1 of their plans, which includes vision and a financial plan, to Commonwealth Games Canada by Nov. 22.

The cost to host the games varies. Glasgow, Scotland spent around $300 million Canadian dollars when it hosted in 2014. Preliminary estimates for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia indicate a price tag of over $1.8 billion.

The cost to hold the 2022 games in Birmingham, England is expected to hit about $1.5 billion.

Brian MacPherson, CEO of Commonwealth Games Canada previously told Hamilton city councillors that the total cost can run around $1.5 billion.

[thistleclub]

Hamilton 100's Nov 6, 2019 GIC delegation/"community vision" can be viewed here (from 13:05).

"We are here to unsettle and surprise whatever expectations you may have, because we are wanting to craft a new narrative. We're throwing out the old playbook, and this time around we are innovating our approach. And in doing so, we are hoping to put forward a more compelling story about why these Games matter. We're done with the same old. We Are here to be different, and we are here to make a lasting impact for the children of Hamilton."

Later, against a slide of Australia’s half-billion-dollar Gold Coast Athletes’ Village (21:21-21:45):

“We would like to acknowledge that affordable housing is a major issue in this community. The hosting of major international games represents a very unique opportunity for a host city to maximize affordable housing solutions that its community may need. As we continue through this biding process, we would seek to create an independent task force with many of our community;’s not-for-profit housing providers like Indwell, Kiwanis, the YMCA, YWCA, and Good Shepherd as well as numerous private sector developers who can collaborate together with the City to find solutions around this significant issue using the Games as the catalyst and connector to push this agenda forward. The ultimate goal would be to create mixed-use units that contain both market-priced and subsidized spaces in the same complex or general area, ensuring that we as a city work toward ending the crippling cycle of separating the haves and the have-nots. This is Canada, and every child, regardless of their economic position, should grow up in neighbourhoods with the same opportunities as everybody else, where access to quality sports opportunities should be made available to them, not just the lucky few who can afford it.”

To that end, Hamilton 100 plans to reduce recent Games' affordable housing benefits by 75% and build three new dedicated sports venues: one for badminton (Waterdown), one for squash (Glanbrook), and one for table tennis (West Mountain).

We'll have to wait until the 2020 budget cycle to assess council's eagerness to back a tax levy for world-class ping-pong.

[SteelTown]

The website is up now

www.hamilton100.ca

[SteelTown]

We just uploaded our bid to host the 2030 Games to Commonwealth Games Canada. Now we can take a break to enjoy Grey Cup Weekend. Go Cats Go! @cgc_jcc
#hamilton100 #commonwealthgames #HamOnt

https://twitter.com/Hamilton100cg

[thistleclub]

So… Calgary is said to be sizing up the possibilities for a 2026 Commonwealth Games bid.

Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi flags the inevitable funding worries, but he might be telegraphing an ask. He has an open line to the PM and it's conceivable a government that next to no representation between Thunder Bay and the Rockies will try to buy a little goodwill in time for the 2023 federal election.

If that bid succeeds, however, it pretty much pits the kibosh on Hamilton's 2030 prospects.