Good reasons to back Commonwealth bid

There is an appealing synchronicity to Hamilton being the host city for 2030 Commonwealth Games.

It was a century ago that Hamilton hosted the very first version of these games, then called the Empire Games. The idea of them returning, especially 100 years after they started here, is appealing.

Then there’s the potential for legacy infrastructure. The still-working Jimmy Thompson Memorial Pool is an example — it was built for those very first games. More recently, there’s the legacy from the Pan Am Games. Many like to point out they didn’t deliver the economic impact promised. That may be so, but the city did end up with a new sports stadium, now called Tim Hortons Field. Government support for the Pan Ams led to that legacy construction, and Hamilton will benefit for the foreseeable future, even as critics continue to complain the stadium is in the wrong location and should have been on the waterfront.

When games supporters pitch for support to Hamilton city councillors today (Feb. 19), they will stress another aspect of the bid. Mindful of the inevitable and legitimate “bread and circuses” concerns that will be raised, the group has embraced the United Nations Sustainable Development goals as a central tenet. That means social impact in areas such as poverty, hunger, housing, innovation and even climate change will be given as much consideration as facilities and financial impact. That’s significant, and sets this bid apart from others that have come before. Whether or not the games bid is worthy of final and financial support remains to be seen. But at this early stage, the bid is worthy of local government support, and we hope councillors agree.