Get in the Spirit of the 2023 Canada Winter Games—Guidelines for Volunteer Leave
The following message was issued to faculty and staff via email on behalf of the Office of the Vice-President Administration and Finance.
Dear Colleagues,
Since their inception in Quebec City during Canada’s Centennial in 1967, the Canada Games have brought together more than 2,000 able-bodied athletes and athletes with physical and intellectual disabilities for the largest amateur multi-sport event in the country. Alternating between winter and summer every two years, the Games span over 30 different sports to showcase the very best in Canadian sport and spirit.
The University of Prince Edward Island has a long history with the Canada Games movement.
In February 1991, when City of Charlottetown hosted the first Canada Games on Prince Edward Island, UPEI was the site of the Athlete’s Village and we saw the opening of the UPEI Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre. Jump ahead to 2009 when PEI hosted the Canada Summer Games. During week two of the event, the campus became alive with athletes from across the country who lived and competed at UPEI. One of the 2009 legacies for UPEI, as well as the Island’s track and field community, was UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place.
UPEI is partnering once again with the Canada Games Host Society as the province gets set to host the 2023 edition of the Canada Winter Games from February 18 to March 5. UPEI will serve as the Athletes Village and venue for several sports. The Games will bring together 3,600 athletes, managers and coaches, across 20 different sports, and leave a legacy that will live long into the future. Investment in local infrastructure will pay dividends, with new and improved community facilities including on the UPEI campus, that will leave PEI stronger and healthier.
From scorekeepers and ushers to drivers and bloggers, it will take thousands of people working together to plan and support all the athletic and cultural events during the Games. Therefore, UPEI has developed Guidelines for Volunteer Leave for the 2023 Canada Winter Games. As an employee, if you are interested in supporting this community effort, you are eligible to apply for up to 15 hours of paid time off to volunteer for the Games.
On February 17, the Host Society held 2023 Canada Games Spirit Day, a community-focused initiative to share excitement for the Games and kick off the one-year countdown to the official Opening Ceremony. Volunteer opportunities opened the next day on February 18. To learn more and apply to be a volunteer, visit the 2023 Canada Winter Games Volunteer Portal.
I hope you will join me in celebrating the very best in Canadian sport and spirit on our very own campus in 2023!
Jackie Podger
Vice-President Administration and Finance
