The 2026 Alberta Winter Games brought a full-on surge of people, energy and local pride to the Lakeland region, with events hosted across the Town of Bonnyville, the MD of Bonnyville, Cold Lake and Glendon.

During the Town of Bonnyville council meeting on Feb. 24, Mayor Elisa Brosseau and council reflected on what multiple members called a successful weekend — pointing to a volunteer turnout that topped 1,000 people and a regional athlete count of roughly 2,200.

“We had over 1,000 volunteers for the event, which is amazing for a community of our size,” said Councillor Neil Langridge, adding that the number continues to impress event organizers. “We were struggling, struggling, struggling, but in classic Bonnyville fashion, we last minute we boom, ramped up the totals and were able to cross the finish line.”

Langridge said the Games drew athletes into multiple communities — not just Bonnyville.

“We had 2,200 athletes that came into our communities in Bonnyville, Cold Lake, DMD and Glendon,” he said.

He also pointed to the clear economic impact that came with that influx, describing busy streets, packed venues and a region stretched for accommodation.

“I don’t know if anybody went tried going uptown that weekend, but it was advised upon not to as it was nuts in all facets and locations,” Langridge said. “Every hotel was sold out.”

With limited room availability across the region, Langridge said some visitors stayed well outside the immediate host communities.

“We had people coming in and staying in Lloydminster, staying in Vermilion because they could not find enough hotel rooms,” he said.

The opening ceremonies were also a major draw.

“Sales exceeded our expectations,” Langridge said. “The opening ceremonies was sold out and we had a lot of people from all over the province and all over Western Canada that came to our community and region.”

Schools stepped up across communities

Council also highlighted the role local schools played in making the Games possible — particularly for athlete accommodations.

Councillor Langridge said he wanted to make sure the Town publicly thanked the school divisions that housed athletes across Bonnyville and Cold Lake.

“Without them, we were completely going to be in trouble,” he said. “They housed all the athletes the entire weekend in Bonnyville and Cold Lake.”

He added that staff and teachers came back after convention to help keep things running.

“Teachers who a lot of them came back from the convention … sacrificed their time to be village mayors,” Langridge said.

RCMP support, overnight security part of the plan

As the weekend unfolded, the region also leaned on additional support to keep overnight accommodations secure.

Chief Administrative Officer Quinton Winfield said RCMP support was a key piece of the event plan.

“I would also echo that as well as adding to the RCMP providing all of the service members that came out of town to support the winter games and provide security for the schools at night for the children,” Winfield said. “They worked with the security team as well.”

Winfield added the weekend went smoothly from a security standpoint.

“They were very efficient and swift and without issue all weekend I believe,” he said.

Firsthand feedback: ‘How well it was run’

Several councillors said they heard positive comments directly from participants.

One councillor said they spoke with coaches and athletes during luggage pickup and kept hearing the same message repeated.

“I had a chance to talk to a lot of coaches and athletes … and a lot of them were just blurting it out … how well it was run, how much of a good time they had,” the councillor said.

They also described the scale of the behind-the-scenes work required to move that many athletes through a regional event.

“That was a well-oiled machine in that warehouse with all that luggage coming in and going out,” they said.

Wrap up

The 2026 Alberta Winter Games were a regional effort — relying on volunteers, schools, municipal staff, event organizers and RCMP support across Bonnyville, the MD of Bonnyville, Cold Lake and Glendon. Town council members said more details, including financial reporting, are expected to come forward at a future meeting.

If you want, paste the MD of Bonnyville council highlights or meeting notes for the Games as well and I’ll blend in their numbers, quotes and acknowledgements so the story truly reflects both councils equally.