It is official. The 2018 Alberta Winter Games will be hosted by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Many expect these games to boost the local economy and bring in large crowds in 2018, although not everyone was fully behind bidding on the games in the beginning. One of the initial naysayers was Fort McMurray Mayor Melissa Blake, who was concerned that a successful bid might not be possible with the time available. After the amount of community support Mayor Blake changed her vote to approve the bid. Blake discussed Wood Buffalo being the official host of the games and said “We have got just exactly what council was looking for, and I know that I have got just exactly what I was looking for today.”

As the official host of the 2018 Alberta Winter Games the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo will receive $370,000 from Alberta Sport towards the cost of hosting the games. Since the stadiums and arensa necessary are already available in the region Wood Buffalo is a good choice. The games allow kids between 11 and 17 to compete in a competition of winter sports, and participants come from all over the region. The final bid that was submitted, and which won, includes a budget of $6.8 million $2.3 million of the budget is allotted for accommodations, and another $1.7 million has been set aside to cover staffing costs associated with the games. The only councillor who voted against the final bid package was Coun. Tyran Ault.