Brock wants to lead Region sports tourism efforts

Niagara needs a coordinated strategy to help ensure it get its share of future sporting events, said Brock University’s associate professor Julie Stevens.

And the director of Brock’s Centre for Sport Capacity said her organization is ready to lead efforts to accomplish that goal — if the Niagara Region supports the initiative.

“There is currently no agency or entity tasked with tracking sports tourism impact in Niagara,” Stevens told members of the Region’s planning and economic development committee, Wednesday. “So the question is: Are we getting our share of events? And more importantly: Are we reaching our sport tourism potential?”

Despite past successes — like winning its bid to bring the 2021 Canada Summer Games to the region — the Niagara Sport Commission closed in November due to underfunding. As a result, she said Niagara is at risk of losing out on future sports tourism opportunities in an industry that is worth $6.5 billion across Canada, and $2.4 billion in Ontario.

“We cannot afford to lose momentum,” she said. “We need to move on creating a Niagara sports event hosting strategy.”

That strategy, she added, should include “a collaborative approach to planning, bidding, hosting and evaluation.”

Stevens said the Centre for Sport Capacity — which she described as “a knowledge hub for sports in the region” — has already identified the need and is already working to maintain databases necessary for event planning and bidding.

“We’re also ready to lead the development of a joint strategy and convene stakeholders to support event bidding and evaluation,” she said. “We have already reached out to partners across all sectors including government, private sector and notfor-profit, as a coordinated approach is the best way forward.”

Stevens asked committee members to support hiring a full time employee for the project.

The Region would be asked to fund the initiative to start, but that could change when a longterm strategy is developed following the Canada Summer Games.

She said the cost of the project has yet to be determined.

Committee members voted to receive the presentation for information, and ask regional staff to develop a report on the proposal.

Fort Erie Coun. Sandy Annunziata asked if there was a difference between the university’s proposal and “the failed model of the Niagara Sport Commission that unfortunately is no longer in existence.”

Unlike the commission, Stevens replied, the university’s initiative would be temporary in nature until the long-term strategy is developed, which would build on the momentum and legacy plan that will result from the Summer Games.

“We propose an interim role. We’re looking to be a stop-gap so Niagara doesn’t fall behind on any bids out there,” she said.

We need to move on creating a Niagara sports event

hosting strategy.

JULIE STEVENS

Associate professor