Council OKs $10,000 for hockey tourney

CSSHL championships attracted 49 teams and 900 athletes to Penticton last week

Taxpayers are giving $10,000 to the Canadian Sport School Hockey League to help cover the cost of staging its annual championships in Penticton.

The cash, which will come from the city’s economic development budget, was approved by council Tuesday.

The championships attracted 49 teams and 900 athletes to the city last week, and were expected to have a $2-million economic impact, according to organizers.

“If you were around town last week, a lot of the restaurants were jammed and the hotels were full,” said Mayor Andrew Jakubeit, who recused himself from the vote because his video production company does work for the CSSHL.

City manager Peter Weeber told council the grant was promised to the CSSHL in advance of the event by the economic development office, but he put the brakes on payment because he wanted council to sign off on it.

The delay also gave staff a chance to assess the spending through the new Eventful Penticton strategy.

“We’re just trying to keep everything in one channel, one program and vetted properly,” said Weeber.

The CSSHL announced last week it’s committed to holding the championships in Penticton for at least the next three years.

Council also approved Tuesday a separate $10,000 grant to organizers of the Western Canada Cup. Set to run April 29 to April 7, the event will see the host Penticton Vees take on the top junior A hockey teams from the four western provinces.

A staff report notes both events will help the city prove it’s capable of staging larger hockey championships, such as the RBC Cup.