City receives $2.5M for 2017 celebrations

The city’s ambitious plans for celebrating the 150th anniversary of Canada’s Confederation got a boost on Thursday, thanks to a $2.5-million gift from the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association.

“This investment shows our confidence in the Ottawa 2017 strategy and our belief that it will be very beneficial to businesses, to our employees and to all of the residents of this great city,” said Kristine Dempster, the association’s chair, before she handed over a large ceremonial cheque to Mayor Jim Watson.

The donation is the first privatesector pledge received by the city’s new 2017 Bureau, a 10-person team headed by Guy Laflamme and cochaired by city councillors Jean Cloutier and Mathieu Fleury.

But Watson said more money is needed to fund the kind of yearlong party the city hopes to plan.

“We’re talking well over $10 million to ensure that we have the capacity not only to attract millions of new tourists, but also to make sure while they’re here that they have a world-class experience,” he said.

A detailed business plan, still in development, will be presented at an upcoming finance committee meeting.

Watson said the provincial government invested heavily in the 2015 Pan-Am Games, which is great for host cities Toronto and Hamilton, and he hopes Queen’s Park will do the same for the 2017 celebrations.

“This is going to be the most significant year for tourism in our city’s history,” the mayor said. “This is going to be our big year.”

Watson said the city will begin announcing specific 2017 events over the next few months. But his sights are set on three marquee events that year: the CFL Grey Cup, an NHL Heritage Classic, and the Juno Awards.

While there’s been no confirmation yet, Watson said Ottawa has the right of first refusal for hosting the Junos and is guaranteed to get the Grey Cup in either 2016, 2017 or 2018.

As for the Heritage Classic, the mayor said he met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman a few months ago to press the city’s case. Coincidentally, 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the Ottawa Senators’ first NHL game on Dec. 19, 1917, against the Montreal Canadiens.

“He understands the importance of 2017 in Ottawa,” Watson said, adding that the NHL typically announces host cities six to 10 months in advance.

The mayor added that a visit from members of the Royal Family or Pope Francis — which is something Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre has suggested for 2017 — would also be most welcome.

“To have a visit of His Holiness or to have a royal visit is of tremendous significance and honour but also great for the tourism economy.”

In addition to the roughly eight million visitors who come to National Capital Region each year, the city has set an ambitious target of attracting 1.75 million more in 2017.

And it’s hoping people will stay for the night, generating an estimated 2.5 million room bookings at Ottawa hotels over the course of the year.

“It will be a huge celebration for you, for us, for everyone who lives in Ottawa,” Fleury said Thursday at a luncheon hosted by the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce.

All sectors of the city — arts, business, sports teams, community associations — are encouraged to participate, he said, adding that residents can get involved by volunteering, planning an event in their neighbourhoods or inviting out-of-town people to visit.

Laflamme said part of the intention behind the bold events he hopes to plan for 2017 is to change the impression people have of Ottawa.

“We want our program to be big, to be larger than life,” he said.