Jeux Canada Games 1981 host society

• Canada Games host society

• host society

The Jeux Canada Games, held every two years, is a sporting event for Canadian amateur athletes which alternates between summer and winter events. The Games are overseen by the Canada Games Council, an independent body which sets out the standards for venue design and the technical rules for competition. Between August 9th to 21st, 1981, The City of Thunder Bay was the host City for the Jeux Canada Games. The Games held in Thunder Bay featured 17 different sports across a range of venues in the City including Fort William Stadium, Port Arthur Stadium and the recently constructed Canada Games Complex, which served as the principle venue for the diving and swimming events. The Games featured 3600 amateur athletes from across Canada, drawing over 15,000 spectators and 800 media personnel to the City for the two week event. The success of the Games relied upon the support of an estimated 5000 volunteers and 1000 coaches and officials and led to numerous improvements to facilities in the City, provided training and development opportunities to local members of the community and helped to foster a community spirit that continues to be looked upon with pride.
Having competed against numerous other cities across the country, including five other cities in Ontario, the City of Thunder Bay was announced the official host city at a press conference on December 14, 1977. Announcing the decision was Iona Campagnola, the Minister of Fitness and Amateur Sport and Robert Andras, President of the Treasury Board. It was the first time that the Games had been held in the Province of Ontario.
The Games were organized by a host society, the Jeux Canada Games 1981, which was approved by City Council and officially incorporated on March 17, 1978. The host society’s principle mandate was to plan and organize the Games on behalf of The City of Thunder Bay. At the conclusion of the Games, the host society entered into an agreement with The City of Thunder Bay, assigning all rights and responsibilities to the City upon the society’s dissolution on December 31st 1981.
The management structure of the host society consisted of a Board of Directors and an Executive Committee, which made all final decisions and approved all high level monetary expenditures. The original President of the host society was P.R. Cook. However, Bruce Walker assumed this position in July 1980 and maintained the role until the society’s dissolution. Also included was a Management Committee which was responsible for making final decisions on policy and problem resolution. Taras Kozyra, who served as the General Manager throughout the organization of the Games, headed the Management Committee and was responsible for overseeing staff and for guiding the general direction of the host society through making reports and recommendations to the Board of Directors.
The host society was divided into six different divisions, each covering a separate functional area. These divisions were presided over by a Vice President and included: Administration, Services, Protocol, Sports, Facilities and Public Relations. The Administrative division served as the primary support arm for the host society, managing all financial matters including budgeting and accounts, banking, investments, insurance and employment payments and benefits. Other operational functions performed by the host society included managing athletes and officials, managing facilities including the construction and upgrading of sporting venues and operating the cultural program. The Public Relations division was also a critical element of the host society’s success. This division was broken into several sub operations including Community Relations, National Promotion and the Friends of the Games. The division was responsible for media and communications, fundraising, garnering support from the local community, marketing strategies and developing corporate partnerships.

City of Thunder Bay

Not for profit organization established by act of Council in March 1978.

Oversaw the organization of the Jeux Canada Games 1981 in Thunder Bay.

Council By-law

The Jeux Canada Games 1981 host society consisted of a Board of Directors and an Executive Committee was comprised of six different divisions: Administration, Services, Protocol, Sports, Facilities and Public Relations.

Gillian Evans; March 19, 2012

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