Niagara wins right to host $360 million floral

Niagara has had its bid accepted to host the 2017 International Horticultural Exhibition, which will be a 150-day event expected to draw more than 2 million visitors and generate an economic impact of more than $800 million.

But while the bid alone cost nearly a half million dollars - $250,000 of which was paid for by taxpayers through the Tourism Partnership of Niagara – hosting the event will cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

“This is a showcase of the community with horticulture as the base,” said Tony DiGiovanni, the executive director of the Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association, which is part of the organizing committee and covered $175,000 of the bid costs. “Niagara has been a pioneer in the horticultural industry and now it's time to showcase it.”  The organizers believe 2017 is the best year to host the annual event because it falls on the year of Canada's 150th birthday. 

Flora Niagara, as the event is being billed, will be held over 150 days during the late spring, summer and early fall.

It will be held mostly on Niagara Parks Commission land, which would see massive changes and enhancements to the areas around Dufferin Islands, the Floral Showhouse, Oak Hall and the Rapidsview parking lots. Additional venues would also include the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton and the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens.

However, if the complete set of venues and infrastructure projects were to become reality, the total cost would be $360 million. “It doesn't have to cost that much, but we said 'this event is going to be a catalyst, so we asked for the wish list',” DiGiovanni said, adding that the 2012 International Horticultural Exhibition currently being held in Holland cost around $200 million to host.

The minimum cost without making any major improvements or adding new facilities would be $50 million, he said.“But if you want to do something on a world-class scale, you need at least the $200 million,” said DiGiovanni.

As for the obvious question of who would cover those costs, the organizers are hoping the federal government will pony up some of the money to make this one of the biggest events on the 150th anniversary calendar. They're also counting on gate revenues in the tens of millions of dollars from an expected crowd of more than two million people, and big corporate sponsorships.

“We have to get as many people together as possible and figure out how to raise the money to get this thing built,” DiGiovanni said. The Niagara Parks Commission has already told the organizers it's willing to host the event, but can't afford to help pay for it.

Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor said it's also unlikely the provincial government will help foot the bill.“There are more pressing needs and we have a financial situation we're trying to deal with,” said Craitor, who initially supported the idea, but has now taken it a step back. Asked if the $250,000 spent on the bid by the provincially-funded Tourism Partnership of Niagara was a good use of the agency's money, he said: “the answer is no.”“To put a bid in without being sure we have a commitment from the major funders … that's a lot of money to spend,” Craitor said. “If you don't have a commitment, it's not a good way to spend the money.

”Tourism Partnership CEO Robin Garrett, who just returned to Canada from the International Horticultural Exhibition in Holland defended the bid. “I think it's important for us to be looking at blockbuster events that grow tourism,” she said. “In this case it's purely an economic benefit and with anything that is economic, you need to invest to get the return.

”Garrett said all levels of government should see the event as an opportunity.“I know there are some critics out there,” she said. “Some will say there are other pressures on governments right now, but in order to pay for some of those social programs we all want, you need to invest in making money.

DiGiovanni also believes the investment will be worth it in the end. The Flora Niagara bid boasted of an $831 million long-term economic impact along with 6,566 new jobs, $117 million in government tax revenues and growth in both the horticulture and tourism industries.

“What's left is a legacy,” he said. “This will attract millions more to Niagara and will extend the brand again and will remind people to come back.”