Mr. Speaker, in February 2019, the city of Red Deer in central Alberta will host the 2019 Canada Winter Games. This will be the largest multi-sport event held in Alberta since the 1988 Winter Olympics and will have an economic impact of over $132 million.
The 2019 games will provide a stage for Canada's future national, international, and Olympic athletes to compete. These games will leave a lasting legacy of new sports facilities such as the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre at Red Deer College, and improved spaces at Great Chief Park and Canyon Ski Resort.
It is clear that events such as this are only successful with the support of the entire community. I would like to thank partners like Nova Chemicals, the City of Red Deer, Red Deer County, and the hard-working games committee under the direction of Lyn Radford, and a army of volunteers.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate 12-year-old Mackenzie Van Damme for her outstanding design of the games' mascot, Waskasoo. Mackenzie's design was selected from more than 300 entries and truly captures the warmth and spirit of the people of Red Deer. I congratulate Mackenzie. We can truly say that Red Deer is ready.