Pan Am Games Diversity Suppliers Search

Pan Am Games Organizers Still pushing for diversity suppliers

By William Doyle-Marshall

Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games organizing team recently hosted a recognition session for its Supplier Diversity Council. Saad Rafi, Chief Executive Officer said his team reached out to communities and conducted seven different seminars with CIBC and its own personnel on how to apply for opportunities that come up in the games.

Rafi is aware that lots of companies may not be familiar with the procurement process and the Games team use very strict government-type procurement processes. They ae fair, they are open to anybody and everybody and you have to meet certain criteria, he explained. We don’t go and say ‘these projects are strictly for these countries to apply for or people from this background can apply for. That’s not how that should work in our view. So we’ve had some success in various diversity suppliers but it is a competitive process at the end of the day,” Rafi said. He could not confirm off hand how many contracts were awarded to Latin American or Caribbean suppliers. He is aware that some people may not define themselves in that manner.

Meanwhile within the Caribbean community there are concerns that members of the Diaspora here are not as involved as they had anticipated. With respect to the search for volunteers, there are complaints that interested youths have signed up but they have had not yet heard back from the organizers. Recently Thomas Saras, President of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada expressed disappointment that members of his organization had not been included in the games’ advertising budget. Some members were quite outspoken at their October meeting. Some even expressed doubts about covering the games at all unless there was a definite change coming from the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games Organizing Committee.

   In terms of opportunities to secure contracts as suppliers to the historic games a spokesman for the Caribbean and African Chamber of Commerce and others in the community expressed disappointment. It is felt that the organization’s needs thus far are beyond the reach of businesses in that community. There are very large projects such as temporary power that requires generators that are industrial size and trailers that will be necessary live broadcaster of the games.    

A number of the proposed facilities are completed and others are underway as contractors and workmen have their eyes on the forthcoming event – less than a year away. The CIBC Pan Am Para Pan Aquatic Centre and Field House on Morningside Drive in the City’s east end is complete and is currently being used for training in preparation for next year. The Canada Synchronized Swim Team; the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball team; a nine-time medalist in Parapan swimming, university students and people from the community are among users of the facility. Organizers consider it a “spectacular facility” which is believed to be among three of its kind in the world. Saad Rafi, Chief Executive Officer of the games notes proudly this is an example of the kind of legacy the games will leave behind for the community. The York University Track and Field Center is about 80% complete and by spring the track will be laid down and training facility will be completed. “It will have a tremendous track for not just York but for other high performance athletes,” the CEO reported.

Before Rafi came on board as Chief Executive Officer there was a proposal to have subway stations and cars named after participating countries. But according to the CEO, very few of the Consuls General got back to the organisation confirming their interest. “It had some cost to them too so in the end we thought it wasn’t practical. We thought we couldn’t do everybody so we moved on to other ideas with respect to highlighting the Americas and the Caribbean,” he explained.

Former Ontario Premier David Peterson who is Chair of the Games Committee said recently Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games is the biggest deal that will ever hit this city. He was confident that even people who are not athletes will find something they’d like in the games -- 50 sports, 30 locations – Welland to Minden to Oshawa – every kind of sport. He described the games as “the cultural celebration of a soul and the birth of an athlete.” He cautioned against getting the impression that this is just about the Caribbean, South and Central America. It is more than that as the games would include “all of our cultures”, every single community in this province, he assured.

  Members of 41 National Olympic Committees and 28 National Paralympic Committees will be in Toronto for the games.The intention is to set new world records. Track and field athletes, swimmers, cyclists, golfers and other performers in the respective countries are tuning up their skills for the great occasion.

The Pan Am Games opening ceremonies will be at Rogers Center July 10 and will be produced by Cirque de Soleil. It ends July 26. The Para Pan American Games open August 7 at the York Athletic Stadium and concludes August 14. The TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015) has the responsibility of planning, managing and delivering the Games. Igniting the spirit through a celebration of sport and culture is the committee’s mission.