Harvey MacEwen says organizers are placing their attention squarely on the athletes in preparing for the 2023 Canada Winter Games.
“That is why we are doing this,’’ says MacEwen, who is volunteering as vice-president of capital projects, venues and overlay.
“We’ve got to focus on the athletes first … so I guess the main thing is to create a pleasant and competitive atmosphere for the athletes.’’
MacEwen volunteered his time and talent to the 1991 Canada Winter Games on P.E.I. and again when the Canada Summer Games came to the province in 2009.
He will be tasked in helping to ensure venues are up to the standards and regulations required for Canada Games when Prince Edward Island plays host to the big sporting event in under three years.
Success, he adds, should be measured by the experience the athletes have.
“That everything met their standards and expectations and at the end of the Games they would say that the Island did a great job in hosting the Games and that they would want to come back later and visit,’’ he says.
A quick look at Harvey MacEwen:
- After receiving his BBA from UPEI, he spent six years with the Bank of Nova Scotia before serving as superintendent of business affairs with the former Unit One School Board.
- Served in many volunteer organizations, including as chairman of both the Western Hospital Board and the West Prince United Way.
- Served as president of the Summerside Western Capitals and as president of the curling club in Alberton.
- Currently serving on the board of the 2009 Canada Games Legacy Fund.
- He and his wife, Anne, divide their time between Charlottetown and Fortune Cove. They have four children and five grandchildren.
MacEwen knows from experience that room for tweaking and improvements always exist from one Games to the next.
He recalls how athletes housed in Slemon Park during the 2009 Canada Summer Games were at first sweltering inside the buildings because there were no air conditioners.
"We bought about every air conditioner in Atlantic Canada,'' he says.
MacEwen, who loves hockey and curling, says a lot of his work will be done before the Games, hopefully allowing him time to take in many of the events.
He credits his lengthy community involvement over the years to adopting his parents give-back mentality.
“I’ve always been interested in volunteering – helping out in the community,’’ says MacEwen, who retired in 2011 as director of business operations with the former Western School Board,
“You meet new people and there are some interesting challenges when you are volunteering.’’
Meet the volunteers
The Guardian will be profiling each of the nine senior volunteers selected to the 2023 Canada Winter Games board of management over the coming months. To inquire about volunteering for the 2023 Canada Games, contact Kyle Dudley by email at [email protected].
