Summer Games facility named for Walker family after $3-million donation
While the Walker family name will soon adorn another legacy building in Niagara, Geordie Walker said that’s not important to his family or the 134-year-old company he runs.
“We never really wanted our name attached to things,” Walker said Monday, while announcing the main facility that will host the 2022 Canada Summer Games will be known as Walker Sports and Abilities Centre in recognition of a $3-million donation from the family and Walker Industries.
The Walker Founder Plaza at the facility is also being named for the family.
Walker, however, said his family hopes that by lending its name to facilities — they also include Walker Family Cancer Centre, Walker Sports Complex at Brock University, Walker Family YMCA and others — it adds credibility to those causes and may also help inspire others to pitch in.
“That’s really the only reason why we put names on things,” he said. “We really feel a duty of care to the community to help out.”
And the national sporting event slated for Aug. 6 to 21, 2022, is a “once in a generation opportunity to really help,” Walker added.
“To see the Niagara Region, the cities of St. Catharines and Thorold working together doesn’t happen too often and for us we really felt to the extent that we could help facilitate more of that I think that’s a pretty good thing,” Walker said.
As fundraising efforts continue, 2022 Niagara Summer Games Host Society chair Doug Hamilton said the contribution from the Walker family is vital.
Despite tens of millions of dollars contributed by local and upper-tier government toward the facility, Hamilton said there was a funding gap that needed to be filled through sponsorships and community fundraising to complete the $146.7-million project.
“That’s where the Walker contribution becomes so important. The family’s contribution to this has been so incredible at filling that gap and making this facility possible,” Hamilton said. “This is an important $3 million but we’re still looking to raise some additional funding.
“We’ll be doing some fundraising efforts for this as well as other facilities like the Henley rowing centre. It’s an ongoing process.”
Ontario Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries Lisa Mcleod said the Summer Games will be an important part of Ontario’s social and economic recovery after a year and a half of COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions.
“It’s going to be the first time that young athletes from across the country will come back together in the safest games ever,” she said, adding the province has committed more than $37 million toward the events.
“It will also have an economic impact of close to $400 million. That’s a lot of jobs at a time when this region is going to need them.”
Hamilton said the facility will be complete in November or December, and will host its first events in January.
“We’re going to open it up to the community before the Games and then the Games will come in and take it over for three weeks, and we’ll get back out. That’s the plan,” he said.
He said the consortium that will manage the facility is “negotiating a facilities programming agreement with all of the partners on how it’s going to be used and we’re also talking to others about events that can be hosted here.”