On Friday, November 6th, 2009, it was announced that the Pan American Games for 2015 were awarded to the City of Toronto. Although the events will be spread out over much of the "Golden Horseshoe", Ward 44 will enjoy many benefits flowing from this announcement.

I recognized early on that the projects we were discussing, as part of the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus (UTSC) expansion, might be fast tracked if attached to the Pan Am Games bid. I was able to secure Council's support for an expanded version of the UTSC proposal as part of Toronto's official bid. Federal and Provincial support was announced in February of this year.

The "field house" or track side of the proposal will have facilities for both recreational and high performance training. There will be a gymnasium, running track, climbing wall, squash courts and food services.

The aquatic facility will include two Olympic sized swimming pools (one for competition and one for warming up) and a ten metre dive tank. All of these features will be built to recognized standards of international competition.

In order to make this project happen, all three levels of government are involved. A little over half of the money will come from the Federal and Provincial Governments. The City of Toronto has committed 22% of funding as has the University itself. The total cost of the project is extimated at $170 million. In order to quality for infrastructure funding, projects need to be "shovel ready" and it is here that each project stands on its own merits. The City's co-operation is required to move these applications through the planning process. UTSC has been an excellent partner, but it is my responsibility to make sure that in the end, our community is well served by all of the participants: the City, both senior levels of government and UTSC.

At the conclusion of the Games, the facilities will remain and a shared use arrangement with the University and the City will be created. This will address a real need for a cummunity centre in the north part of the Ward, which has been underserved in the past.

For more details on the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, please visit the Toronto 2015 web site.