Material Type

Photograph

Date Range

[between 11 and 23 February 1975]

Creator

Health and Welfare Canada Information Directorate

Physical Description

194 black and white photographs

Physical Condition

Excellent

History Biographical

On 15 November 1972 the elected officials of 32 communities in southern Alberta presented a proposal titled “Lethbridge/Southern Alberta 1975 Jeux Canada Games Right on Target for 1975” to Don Goodwin, president of the Sport Federation of Canada. The proposal was an invitation to the Sport Federation of Canada to designate Lethbridge and southern Alberta as the site for the 1975 Canada Winter Games. The proposal was based on a regional approach to hosting the Games: rather than locating all of the events in one community, the 1975 Canada Winter Games were held throughout southern Alberta. The regional approach to hosting the Canada Winter Games had not been tried before the 1975 event. Once the games were awarded to southern Alberta, the 1975 Canada Winter Games Society (CWGS) was organized on 22 March 1973 to plan and carry out the event. From September 1973 to April 1974, the organizational structure of the CWGS shifted as decision-making powers moved from the Board of Directors to the Management Committee. The Management Committee was composed of eleven people: Chairman, President, Vice-President, General Manager and the directors of the Sports, Services, Public Relations, Regional Coordination, Facilities and Finance Sub-committees. They in turn supervised other working groups charged with planning and carrying out specific tasks and projects within the scope of each Sub-committee. As more time passed, the General Manager took the responsibility for day-to-day decision making. Decisions were reported to the Management Committee, and in turn to the Board of Directors of the CWGS. Ultimately the regional approach was a success, with only one drawback. Staging the 1975 Canada Winter Games Society required coordination between, and support from, the federal and provincial governments as well as 15 municipal governments throughout southern Alberta. Benefits of the Games included construction of the Canada Games Sportsplex (now the Enmax Centre) and Stan Siwik Pool in Lethbridge; uprgrading of 26 other recreational facilities in Lethbridge and southern Alberta; and distribution of sports equipment used for the Games to southern Alberta communities after the Games concluded. Over 3,000 volunteers contributed their time and talents to the 1975 Canada Winter Games, another mark of success. The only drawback to be noted by the CWGS in its final report was that, if anything, the Games were spread out over too large a geographical area. This necessitated the operation of two Athlete Villages and created some problems of logistics and coordination. The 1975 Canada Winter Games featured competition in the following sports: badminton, basketball, curling, fencing, figure skating, gymnastics, hockey, judo, skiing, synchronized swimming, table tennis, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling. Some 2,415 athletes from all of the provinces and territories participated in the 1975 Canada Winter Games. The CWGS finished its business on 31 July 1976. [source: Lethbridge / Southern Alberta Jeux Canada Games 1975 Final Report. Archives UID 20011109005]

Scope and Content

The fonds consists of 194 black and white photographs of the sports competitions held as part of the 1975 Canada Winter Games.

Access Restrictions

Public Access

Accession No.

19760051000

Collection

Archive

Less detail