Special Olympics an economic boon for city and beyond

We Shine Together is the motto for the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games 2026, but We Smile Together could be the motto for Medicine Hat businesses sharing in the economic surge the Games provide.

With 1,700 athletes, officials, coaches, and mission staff from all points in Canada and an estimated 3,500 spectators — one of whom is Her Excellency Louise Arbour, Canada’s Governor General —cash registers in the city are ringing loudly.

Hotels across southeastern Alberta are jam-packed, smaller motels are enjoying a financial bonanza, restaurants are churning out more meals than usual to hungry visitors, car rental outfits are busier than normal, and local shops are seeing higher than normal mid-August traffic.

The overall economic impact for the city and area for the Aug. 11-15 Games is an estimated $12 million, and that might be low. Wyatt Sabourin of Victoria, whose son Drew is one of B.C.’s swimmers, said he tried six months ago to reserve a hotel room in Medicine Hat, but was unsuccessful. He finally found a room at a small motel, but said he was surprised that rooms across the city were booked solid so far in advance of the Games.

Counting air fare, motel rooms, food, car rental, fuel, etc., Sabourin estimates he will be spending in the neighbourhood of $5,000 for the week; the bulk of it in Medicine Hat.

A couple from Nova Scotia, Sharon and Robert Rushton, flew to Calgary, rented a car and will be in the Gas City for about a week to watch their son, Colton, compete in the sport of bocce. “I figure it’ll be about $5,000 to $6,000 for us,” said Sharon. “But it’s worth every penny.”

The Games will provide a huge economic boost to Medicine Hat and area, said Lisa Dressler, executive director of the Medicine Hat Chamber of Commerce.

“When the Games were first being discussed in 2020, before they were postponed due to COVID, we estimated an economic impact of about $10 million,” she said. “Considering the inflationary impact and the investment in facilities in Medicine Hat, and using the Bank of Canada inflation calculator, that figure would be over $12 million today,” said Dressler.

It’s not only the immediate cash injection that’s important, said Dressler. “There’s the longer term impact that exposure to our community can bring,” she said. “Visitors to the Games see what we have to offer here and maybe some of them will want to return… maybe even move here.”

Melissa Kincaid, manager of the Prairie Crest Hotel just off Strachan Road, confirms that business is booming while the Games are going on. Since the hotel’s establishment, “it’s the first time we’ve had one of these major events,” she said. “It’s been busy, and it’s great for the city.”

Last Sunday, Games’ volunteers gathered at Prairie Crest to put welcoming bags on the beds of all 71 rooms used by athletes and officials. The need to have all 71 rooms spruced up and ready for visitors was a bit of a strain for the normal staff of three, but the job got done. “Each of our housekeepers can usually do 15 rooms in a shift,” said Kincaid. “But we had to do 50. So we had five people working instead of three.”

Over at the Days Inn, just a stone’s throw from Prairie Crest, manager Brianna Sweeney said although August is peak season for hotels, “we wouldn’t normally be as packed as we are this week” were it not for the Games. Of the Inn’s 97 rooms, about 20 have been kept open for non-Games-related customers.

“Most of these rooms have been booked for five years, if you can believe that,” said Sweeney, referencing the original 2022 games that were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overall, things have been “going really smoothly,” said the Days Inn manager. She said the athletes occupying the rooms have been well behaved and fun to have around. These national events, she said, are “great for the city. It brings a lot of attention to Medicine Hat.”

The athletes, officials and family members cheering on their favourites have to eat, and that has resulted in some busier periods for many of the Hat’s restaurants. Logan Gooding, one of the managers at The Keg, in the city’s northwest, said “the last few days have been a little busier than normal” and he assumes it’s a result of the Games because he has noticed a few athletes wearing their team jerseys in his establishment.

At Moxie’s on Dunmore Road, Brandon Boudreaux said the Games’ rush hadn’t really hit his restaurant by Tuesday, “but we’re anticipating that it will get busier as the week goes on.”

Dressler summarizes the positivity of the Games coming to Medicine Hat by saying that “overall, sport tourism is very beneficial to our community. It really helps to showcase our city. We’re ecstatic that the Games are here and grateful to the organizers and volunteers who are making it happen.”

— story by Bruce Penton, Special Olympics Canada Summer Games