I would like to thank everyone who came out in person or joined us online at our Canada Games Engagement Session on Wednesday, March 13, to learn more about Memorial and the 2025 Canada Games.

I enjoyed feeling the energy in the room and was particularly touched to hear from two of our students, Cameron Stanford and Claire Winsor, talk about the impact that previous Canada Games have had on them. And of course, it’s always nice to see Sammy the Sea-Hawk!

We loved the enthusiasm from folks who are eager to get involved in the 2025 Canada Games coming to our St. John’s campus, and appreciated hearing your thoughts and questions.

Planning is well underway for the 2025 Canada Games, which will see nearly 5,000 athletes, coaches and managers on our St. John’s campus over two weeks in August. Memorial University is a proud community partner of this exciting event. We will provide space for the Games village, team mission offices and meetings, polyclinic, media and broadcast centre, social programming and of course, venues for various sports.

In addition to supporting a celebration of national youth sport, Memorial University has been presented with the opportunity to build an academic legacy — initiatives that will have a long-lasting impact on Memorial University campuses in teaching and learning, research, public engagement and volunteerism.

We are encouraging everyone to share their ideas on how we can incorporate the 2025 Canada Games into the Memorial University community for many years to come. Although there is a lot of planning still to come, and no doubt there will be some disruption to our usual work, we look forward to showcasing our university on the national stage.

Visit the Memorial Canada Games website for Games planning at Memorial, how you can get involved, and to explore what the Games mean for Memorial and you.