Exactly, currently the only serious contender is Montreal's bid so there's definitely room for Toronto's bid. These 2 bids are not mutually exclusive to each other. Speaking of the government, does anyone know if (and how) the discussions about funding will be affected when our legislature got prorogued?
Andrew
"Fill the world with children who care and things start looking up."
> Date: Sun, 17 Jan 2010 12:28:52 -0800
> From: saintonge@telus.net
> To: wikimedia-ca@lists.wikimedia.org
> Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-Canada] Fwd: Montreal wikimania bid
>
> Geoffrey Plourde wrote:
> > As it stands, Montreal would appear to be the better place to put
> > forward. Unofficially this is the year for North America to receive
> > the nod, so we can't afford to have two or three competing bids.
> > Montreal has several advantages right now that I am not seeing from
> > Toronto or Ottawa.
> >
> > Coren has noted that funding may be available from government sources
> > for Montreal which would be a plus when the jury looks at the bid. The
> > less Wikimedia has to pay, the better. Another area to look into is
> > getting special rates on airfare from a major carrier, which the
> > tourism bureau may be able to help secure. These advantages, combined
> > with the bilingual area, make Montreal appealing. The Wikimedians in
> > Toronto and Vancouver would be able to assist in arranging
> > transportation from their respective areas.
> >
>
> Having two (or more) competing bids at this stage would be healthy at
> this stage. Each would push the other to do better. The strong points
> in one should inspire the other to improve in those areas. A single bid
> risks winning by default.
>
> Government funding is clearly desirable, but even solid commitments,
> particularly from the current federal government, are too easily
> withdrawn. We aren't exactly great supporters of their intellectual
> property agenda.
>
> I don't know how realistic it would be to find special airfares. This
> works best when significant sized groups of people fly together between
> the same two airports. Significant groups could come together from
> Frankfurt or San Francisco, but these are not the people who most need
> subsidizing. Don't expect a lot of people to come from Vancouver.
> Travel costs are still significant, even for domestic flights. The
> number of available flights is still substantial so making arrangements
> should not be too difficult for anyone smart enough to be active in
> Wikimedia projects. Travel between Montreal and Toronto in either
> direction should not involve flying. It's about a five-hour drive.
> The benefit of the short flight are taken away by the time wasted in
> airport check-in and security procedures. Informal arrangements are
> possible for those who want to pile into a car and drive together.
>
> Ray
>
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