City of Yellowknife, GNWT say no to hosting 2035 Canada Winter Games

City of Yellowknife, GNWT say no to hosting 2035 Canada Winter Games

Published 5:32 pm Tuesday, September 22, 2026

By James McCarthy Northern News Services

Another cycle, another year where the NWT will not be hosting the Canada Winter Games.

The City of Yellowknife and GNWT jointly announced Tuesday afternoon that it will not move ahead with a bid for the 2035 edition of the event. The decision was based off of a feasibility assessment published last month which outlined what it would take to host in the capital.

There were several benefits in terms of economic, infrastructure and culture, but those were also looked at as potential drawbacks to any bid.

“While the assessment identified potential benefits associated with hosting the Games, including opportunities to advance sport development, strengthen community capacity, stimulate economic activity, and showcase the North on a national stage, it also highlighted substantial financial, operational, and infrastructure requirements,” stated the announcement.

“Based on these findings, the GNWT and the City of Yellowknife concluded that pursuing a bid at this time would present challenges in balancing the significant investment required to host the Games with other territorial and municipal priorities,” it added.

Municipal and Community Affairs Minister Vince McKay stated that hosting would’ve been a great opportunity, but it would’ve been tough.

“While there were potential benefits, the review confirmed that the required investment and infrastructure would make it difficult to deliver the Games responsibly and sustainably at this time,” he stated.

Yellowknife Mayor Ben Hendriksen was of the same mindset.

“Yellowknife is ambitious about the opportunities we pursue for our community, but ambition also requires us to make choices about where we focus our efforts and resources,” he stated. “Based on what we learned through the feasibility process, we believe that not proceeding with a bid at this time is the responsible decision for our community.”

Yellowknife’s declining of bidding for 2035 won’t throw off the timelines for the event, according to Catriona Le May Doan, chair of the Canada Games Committee.

“Hosting the Canada Games has demonstrated proven economic, community-building, and sport benefits, Games after Games,” she stated. “The Canada Games Council will now work with federal, provincial and territorial governments to identify a new host jurisdiction.”