Tourism Sault Ste. Marie led a city-wide effort to host the 2018 Ontario Winter Games. Though the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport was very impressed with the local bid and level of support committed by various community groups, the Games were awarded to Orilla. The announcement was made yesterday.
“Though disappointing, this is a classic example of the mantra ‘You can’t win them all,’” said Ian McMillan, Executive Director of Tourism Sault Ste. Marie. “Our team, working with partner agencies, has been successful in bidding on various major events in recent months – last weekend’s CAN/AM President’s Cup VIP Poker Run being a prime example – but the fact of the matter is that it’s nearly impossible to be successful every time.”
The Sault’s bid to host the 2018 Ontario Winter Games had committed support from all levels of government, the private sector and a number of local organizations. In its decision letter to Tourism Sault Ste. Marie, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport made specific reference to being impressed with the strong community support.
“Everyone came together, which allowed us to make a very solid bid,” said McMillan. “We thank all our supporting colleagues – in particular, City Council and staff and our accommodations partners – for their ongoing assistance. We look forward to working with everyone again in the near future on the next major event bid.”
