CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Blair Dunn knows how to deal with money.
A partner at Grant Thornton, Dunn has over 30 years of public accounting experience.
He has provided extensive acquisition, divestiture and financial advice to many of Prince Edward Island’s leading companies and organizations.
No stranger to volunteering either, Dunn has agreed to serve as vice president of finance and administration with the board of management for the 2023 Canada Winter Games being hosted on P.E.I.
He will assist the chief operating officer and the chief financial officer to ensure, “the right controls and processes are in place to stay within budget.’’
That budget is a hefty $54.2 million with $36.4 million earmarked for operating costs and $17.8 million designated for capital expenses.
Salaries, he said, top the operating costs.
Dunn said a good chunk of capital costs will be injected into venues for the Canada Games sporting events.
He anticipates a “significant investment’’ in the Nordic trails at the Mark Arendz Provincial Ski Park in Brookvale, which were first developed for the 1991 Winter Games in the province.
“There’s a lot of work there that needs to be done to meet Canada Games standards,’’ he said.
Dunn was in Red Deer, Alta., last year taking in some of the 2019 Canada Winter Games. He got a good idea of what it takes to produce the major event.
He visited the Athletes Village and made his way to a number of sporting events, soaking up the high energy among participants, spectators and volunteers.
“It was quite an experience, really,’’ he said.
Dunn added he agreed to serve on the board of management because he enjoys giving back to the community.
“I felt that this was pretty important to Prince Edward Island to leave a legacy,’’ he said.
“It’s a big event. I just view this as a pretty important event for Prince Edward Island to showcase the people that we have here and showcase our Island to the rest of the country. I think it is
going to be a tremendous thing for Prince Edward Island.’’
