By Justin Dionne

Canada Games in Red Deer brings back memories of 1995 for Grande Prairie man

Feb 15, 2019 | 4:30 AM

The 2019 Canada Games kick off today in Red Deer.

The province says close to 340 athletes, coaches, staff and managers will be representing Alberta at the event.

The last time the games were held in Alberta they took place in the Swan City in 1995.

Chair of the Grande Prairie Sports Council Leigh Goldie took part in the ’95 games as the Mayor of the Athletes Village.

Goldie notes the games brought a lot of positive additions to the community, and he says Red Deer is also going to benefit from hosting the event.

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“The same thing will happen in Red Deer. Red Deer has built some really, really great facilities. Probably more than we did in Grande Prairie,” says Goldie. “It’s going to benefit the community for the next couple of generations at least, so I think they’re very fortunate to have that.”

More than 20,000 people are expected to be traveling to Red Deer for the games. Close to 3,600 athletes and support staff from across the country are going to be participating in the events.

“The Canada Games are the Olympics of Canada. It’s the major domestic competition that we have and many of our Olympians, in fact, most of them have probably participated in the Canada Games. It’s great to have it here in Alberta and it’s great to have it in Red Deer,” says Goldie.

This year’s event marks the third time the games have been held in Alberta.