Volunteers still needed for 2018 Arctic Winter Games

With less than three months to go, the 25th Arctic Winter Games still needs volunteersand more accommodation for volunteers and spectators,according to thepresident of the game's host society.

The society's goal is to have 1,500 volunteers, said Greg Rowe. Right now they have close to 1,000.

"Volunteering is going to tax all of our volunteers," said Rowe.

"In Fairbanks [where the games were hosted in 2014] they did about 15 hours for their week. We'll be asking volunteers to probably put in a few more hours than that, which I think is normally done in smaller communities."

The games are split between Hay River and Fort Smith, N.W.T.,this year.

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Rowe says the society is trying to source volunteers from Yellowknife and other communities outside of the region to help out. They're also asking people within the community to open their doors for places for people to stay.

Close to 2,000 athletes, officials and cultural performers are expected to descend upon Hay River and Fort Smith for the week of March 18.

Rowe says participants will be housed in schools and larger centres in the communities.

"Where we are challenged is the moms, dads, aunts, uncles, certainly trying to accommodate them and that's where we'll go to the home billet [having them stay with volunteers] as well as some other creative options that we have," he explained.

Rowe says there are some vacant buildings in the communities which the society plans to accommodate with cots for volunteers and youth ambassadors, freeing up hotel and motel space.

"We're certainly going to have to be creative and have the support of the residents," Rowe said.

Confident in meeting goals

He says the society is "fairly confident" they can meet their volunteer goal in time for the games.

Meanwhile, construction of the arena for the games in Hay River is still not completed.

"There's not that much work left to get done," said Mayor Brad Mapes.

"The problem is, you don't want to have it just opened you'd like to have the people in there to use it for training too so it's a little bit tighter than what we want to do to be."

Mapes says the arena is scheduled to be finished by the end of January.

The 2018Arctic Winter Games will take place from March 18 to 24.

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