WinSport slides funds from track to day lodge expansion, Luge Canada not impressed
Frustrated officials with Luge Canada are disappointed WinSport is using money that had been earmarked for the restoration of Calgary's Olympic sliding track on day lodge renovations.
The sliding organization says the $25 million track restoration was scheduled to begin in 2020, but the project was temporarily shelved due to a funding shortfall as the commitments from the provincial and federal levels of government only equated to $17 million.
WinSport has since reallocated the province's $10 million contribution from the sliding track project to the day lodge expansion project without notifying the sliding groups.
"WinSport has repeatedly reassured Canada’s sliding sports of its commitment to secure the additional funds required to complete the restoration project," said Luge Canada in a statement issued Thursday. "WinSport has not communicated its decision to move (the) existing provincial funds to other projects before Tuesday's media conference.
"Removing the track from Calgary’s legacy of Olympic venues puts the future of our sport in Canada at serious risk."
Luge Canada says WinSport's decision removes "the critical resources required for our youth to discover, develop and excel in Olympic sliding sport" as well as what was "a major revenue generator for Calgary's economy" as the track hosted world cup and world championships each year with global exposure.
On Tuesday, WinSport announced plans to expand the day lodge, a 35-year-old facility, as a cost of upward of $43 million. The project is expected to begin in 2023 with the federal government contributing $17.5 million and the province providing $17.4 million.
WinSport confirmed to CTV News that $10 million in provincial funding for the day lodge project was originally set aside for sliding track upgrades and repairs, but track restoration remains on its list of capital projects.
"The $17.5 million in provincial funding includes $10 million that had originally been committed from the Government of Alberta to support renovating COP’s sliding track to upgrade the refrigeration system to meet modern safety standards and allow the track to safely reopen for luge, skeleton, and bobsleigh athletes," said Barry Heck, WinSport president and CEO, in a statement. "The sliding track project was only partially funded and WinSport has continued its efforts to raise the substantial additional capital that is needed to proceed with the project. To date, we have been unable to raise the required capital and with the time frame to use the $10 million from the Government of Alberta set to expire, there was no prospect of securing the funding and completing the project in the required time frame.
"In an effort to keep the funds for capital projects at COP, we worked with the Government of Alberta to reallocate the $10 million to the day lodge project, WinSport's highest capital priority, instead of requiring us to return the funds.
"While we appreciate that this is difficult news for the sliding sports community, we are thankful that the Government of Alberta agreed to reallocate this money to serve hundreds of thousands of athletes and the community, instead of requiring us to return it."
WinSport adds the federal funding promised for sliding track upgrades remains in place and is separate from the recently announced federal funds for the day lodge under its Green & Inclusive Community Buildings program.
ATHLETES, OFFICIALS CAUGHT OFF GUARD
Both Pat Norton and Erica Voss started sliding in Calgary on the now-closed track. The two current Team Canada bobsleigh athletes say the news of the funding being diverted was a surprise.
"When we first heard about the commitment to redevelop the track, it was exciting because this is a hub for us and it's a developmental piece and critical piece of our organization," said Norton, a bobsleigh pilot with the national team.
"It was incredibly disappointing to hear that (the funding) had been reallocated to something that suited them better," he said.
The two are among the Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) athletes who train at WinSport's Ice House during the summer. They're set to head to Whistler with the team on Monday to start on-track training before the season starts.
"I've been a brakeman for the last two years and now I'm transitioning into piloting and it's kind of sad to not get the chance to drive this track that a lot of our top, medal-winning pilots have started on," said Voss, who was an alternate on Canada's 2022 Olympic team.
"It was a great learning track," she said.
The start of the bobsleigh track at WinSport now ends just short of its first corner; hundreds of metres of it was dismantled years ago. The sliding sports that still have offices at WinSport aren't sure yet what the next steps are now that the provincial funding to repair the track has disappeared.
"It was a huge surprise. There had been no communication or discussion whatsoever that came from WinSport. They didn't reach out in any way to the sliding sport community," said Alex Gough, an Olympic medallist who is now the president of Luge Canada.
"To learn that they had gone ahead and diverted those funds without even having a conversation or the courtesy to discuss it with us is hugely disappointing," Gough said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday in the hush money trial of former U.S. president Donald Trump, prepared to testify about a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.