Calgary, AB,
19
September
2016
|
12:20
America/Denver

Olympic bid exploration committee announced

Former police chief Rick Hanson to chair committee of Calgary volunteers

Today, Mayor Naheed Nenshi and former chief of police Rick Hanson announced the creation of the Calgary Bid Exploration Committee—the committee responsible for exploring the possibility of a Calgary bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The list of the committee members is attached.

“Today, we begin our fact-focused exploration,” said Hanson, Chair of the committee. “Our goal is to collect all the best possible information, in collaboration with the community, to see if it makes good sense to bid on the 2026 games. Once we present our findings to City Council, Council will make a decision to proceed with an Olympic and Paralympic bid or not.”

 

Rick Hanson , Former police chief
Our goal is to collect all the best possible information, in collaboration with the community, to see if it makes good sense to bid on the 2026 games.
Rick Hanson , Former police chief

Beginning immediately, the committee will create a Master Hosting Plan, which will provide an analysis of the capital and operating costs for hosting the games that maximizes the use of existing and potentially required facilities, determining the level of investment required from the three orders of government, and assessing other costs for hosting the Games.

“Through this exploration, we want see if a uniquely-Calgary Games is possible: a model that is focused on building community and supporting athletes while also being very cost effective,” said Hanson. “Our next steps will include developing working relationships with key stakeholders, including facility owners, neighbouring communities, sports federations, and others. In the weeks ahead, we will be meeting with these stakeholders to determine their involvement.”

The Committee will provide an interim report to City Council and Calgarians in January 2017 and a final report by July 2017. As public reports are presented to Council, they will also be shared at Calgary.ca/Calgary2026.

“This committee of volunteers are some of the best minds in Calgary to be put to this task,” said Mayor Nenshi. “They represent the breadth of our community, and I’m confident that the work they do will help Council make a decision on whether to move forward with a bid.”

 

Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary
This committee of volunteers are some of the best minds in Calgary to be put to this task.
Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary

Should City Council decide to not proceed with the bid, the findings from the bid exploration process will provide The City of Calgary with a comprehensive understanding of current city infrastructure and needs—setting the framework for an intentional approach going forward.

“A lot of good work has happened to get us to this point,” said Mayor Nenshi. “I want to thank my colleagues in City Administration and the Calgary Sports Tourism Authority—especially Marco De Iaco, Doug Mitchell, and Rod McKay—for all they have done to get us to today. Now we pass the torch to the committee.”

More information about the Calgary Bid Exploration Committee can be found at Calgary.ca/Calgary2026.

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BOARD MEMBERS OF CALGARY BID EXPLORATION COMMITTEE (CBEC)

 

Name

1

Rick Hanson (Chair)

2

Rod McKay

3

Beckie Scott

4

Patrick Jarvis

5

Laurie Stretch

6

Sheila McIntosh

7

Chris Lee

8

Catriona Le May Doan

9

Irfhan Rawji

10

Dale Henwood

11

Patti Pon

12

Wilton Littlechild

13

Gene Edworthy

14

Sue Riddell Rose

15

Maureen Killoran

16

Scott Thon

17

Karen Ball

Non-Voting Members:

 

Name

Position

1

Doug Mitchell (Honorary Chair)

Chair of Calgary Sport Tourism Authority

2

Kurt Hanson

General Manager, Community Services,

The City of Calgary

3

Chima Nkemdirim

Chief of Staff, Office of the Mayor

The City of Calgary

CBEC Member’s Biography:

 

Name

Bio

1

Rick Hanson (Chair)

Rick Hanson has spent over 40 years in policing. He started his career with the Calgary Police Service before moving to the RCMP in 2005. In 2007, he returned to Calgary as Chief of Police where he served until retiring in March 2015. Since then, he has been employed as a consultant to many Calgary projects. Rick grew up in Calgary, and is an alumni of both St. Francis High School and the University of Calgary.

2

Rod McKay

Rod McKay, FCA is the chair of the board of Tourism Calgary. He also serves as board chair for the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, is a board member of the Calgary Sports Tourism Authority, and formerly held senior national and international leadership positions as a partner with KPMG.

3

Beckie Scott

Beckie Scott retired in 2006 as Canada’s most decorated and successful cross-country ski racer in the history of the sport. Winning gold in Salt Lake City in 2002, Scott became the first Canadian (and first North American woman) to ever win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing. She followed that up with Olympic silver in 2006, and a record 17 World Cup podium finishes. On retirement, Beckie was elected to the International Olympic Committee’s Athlete Commission for an 8-year term. She currently serves as Chair of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Athlete Commission and actively advocates for clean, fair, doping-free sport. Beckie Scott currently works as the Program Director for Ski Fit North Alberta.

4

Patrick Jarvis

A Paralympian, Patrick Jarvis has held numerous leadership roles in high performance sport including president of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, Director of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, IOC Coordination Commission member of the London 2012 Games, and is serving his third four-year term as a governing board member of the International Paralympic and four Olympic Games. Based on his extensive involvement with the Paralympic Movement, he was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2010.

5

Laurie Stretch

Laurie Stretch is a senior communications leader, with experience spanning the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. She is the Calgary general manager of Edelman, a leading global communications marketing firm.

6

Sheila McIntosh

Sheila has over 30 years of experience in both private industry and government, working for the past 15 years on the leadership teams of several large companies in the energy and transportation sectors. Most recently she was Executive Vice President Environment & Corporate Affairs at Cenovus Energy Inc. She has broad experience in the management of stakeholder relations, communications, corporate reputation, and corporate and social responsibility.

7

Chris Lee

Chris Lee is the Deloitte Managing Partner for the prairie region, a member of the Deloitte executive committee, and co-chair of the firm’s Marketplace Committee. Formerly, Chris was on the board of directors for Deloitte Canada and was the National Energy Leader of the firm's energy and resources practice. Chris is actively involved in the community and is a co-chair of Gold Medal Plates, a member of the sponsor committee of the Global Business Forum, a past chair of Theatre Calgary, and a former chair of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators.

8

Catriona Le May Doan

Catriona Le May Doan is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in speed skating. She is a member of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, and an Officer of the Order of Canada. Catriona is actively involved in community sport through Sport Calgary, and is passionate about helping people of all ages to live healthy and active lives.

9

Irfhan Rawji

Irfhan Rawji is a principal with Totem Capital Corporation, a Calgary-based private investment firm. Through Totem, Irfhan currently serves as board chair for two of its investee companies: Carrot Insights, the provider of Canada's national wellness rewards app and the Organic Box, Alberta's largest organic food hub. Irfhan also serves on numerous non-profit boards including the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, Glenbow Museum, imagiNation150, and the Harvard Business School Global Alumni Board.

10

Dale Henwood

Dale Henwood has been the president and CEO of the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary since its establishment in April 1994. He has both a Bachelor of Physical Education degree and a Master’s degree from the University of Alberta, as well as an MBA from the University of Calgary. He has been a senior sport leader in the provincial and Canadian sport system and serves internationally as the president of the Association of Sport Performance Centres.

11

Patti Pon

Patti Pon is the president and CEO of Calgary Arts Development and a veteran community organizer. She has held executive positions at Arts Commons, Edmonton Opera, and ATP. Patti currently serves on the board of the Calgary Foundation, and chairs a committee for the Calgary Stampede.

12

Wilton Littlechild

Wilton Littlechild is an avid sportsman and athlete; he has won more than 70 provincial, regional, national, and international championships. He is a founder of the North American Indigenous Games, and was selected as a torch bearer and ambassador for the 2010 Olympic Games. He has been inducted into seven sports Halls of Fame.

Wilton was a Member of Parliament from 1988 to 1993 for the riding of Wetaskiwin-Rimby, sat on several senior committees in the House of Commons, and served as a parliamentary delegate to the United Nations.

Wilton also has the distinction of being the first Treaty First Nation person to acquire his law degree from the University of Alberta in 1976. He also holds Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Physical Education, an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta, and the Indigenous Peoples’ Counsel (IPC) designation.

13

Gene Edworthy

Dr. Gene Edworthy is a Calgary optometrist who has been passionately involved in Olympic sport for more than 30 years as an athlete, National Sport Federation president (luge), chair of WinSport, board member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, and board member of Canadian Sport Institute Calgary. Gene has attended six Olympic Games in various official capacities and brings valuable insight and experience to the Calgary Bid Exploration Committee.

14

Sue Riddell Rose

Sue Riddell Rose is president and chief executive officer of Perpetual Energy Inc. and has over 25 years of experience in the Canadian oil and natural gas industry. She is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, and is a Governor of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. Sue is actively involved with a number of not-for-profit organizations including United Way of Calgary, the Premier’s Council for Alberta’s Promise, UNICEF Canada, Fulbright Canada, and Queen’s University.

15

Maureen Killoran

Maureen Killoran is the managing partner of Osler LLP Calgary and the first female managing partner of a national law firm in the province of Alberta. Maureen, a senior litigation partner with over 20 years of experience, is routinely recognized as one of the best commercial, energy, and Aboriginal lawyers in Canada; in 2016 she was named one of the "Top 25 Women in Litigation in Canada.”

16

Scott Thon

Scott Thon is the president and chief executive officer of Altalink. He is a registered professional Engineer, a graduate of the Executive Program from the University of Western Ontario's Richard Ivey School of Business, and has completed the Institute of Corporate Directors - Directors Education Program to receive his ICD.D designation. Scott is the current chair of the Canadian Electricity Association board of directors, a director on the board of Alberta Blue Cross, and a trustee with Northview Apartment Real Estate Investment Trust.

17

Karen Ball

Karen Ball is a nationally recognized culture leader with over 20 years developing the arts and cultural landscape in Canada. She has been a thought leader and collaborator in key cultural planning within Alberta including The City of Calgary's Culture Plan, The Premier's Council on Culture, and Calgary's Year as Cultural Capital (Calgary 2012).