St. Catharines officially launches bid for Brier

St. Catharines will be facing tough competition from other cities hoping to host the 2020 men’s national curling championship.

“We’re going to be in a bit of a battle,” said Doug Geddie, from St. Catharines Golf and Country Club.

For instance, Kingston will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of its curling club when the championships take place in 2020, while Prince George, B. C., is celebrating its curling club’s 100th anniversary that year.

And Moncton, N. B., has just opened a new area, and “they’d love to have something like the Brier,” Geddie said Monday, while announcing the launch of the local bid to bring the national event to Meridian Centre.

Despite the competition, Geddie, who chair’s the bid committee, is feeling confident about St. Catharines’ chances.

But more than two years before the event is scheduled to take place, and months before Curling Canada’s fall decision of a community to host the event, Meridian Centre has started selling tickets for it.

The $10 advance ticket sales are available online at 2020brier.ca and bringthebrier.ca, and will be part of the local bid to demonstrate the local fan base for the sport, said Meridian Centre director of marketing Kay Meilleur.

If St. Catharines is not selected for the Brier, she said the money will be automatically refunded.

Geddie said the men’s national curling championship “is the biggest — it’s the granddaddy,” and it has been held in every province in Canada “and it’s been hosted in 31 cities.”

“But it’s never been in Niagara, and we’d like to change that,” he said.

St. Catharines Golf and Country Club past- president Keith Shaver said the event promises as much as $ 15 million in economic impact, expectations for up to 100,000 visitors who will fill hotel rooms, restaurants and visit other attractions, as well as national recognition when TSN broadcasts the curling championships across the country.

But Shaver said running the event will also take more than 500 volunteers, “and we cannot do this alone.”

“The City of St. Catharines and Niagara Region have stepped up to the plate to provide their financial backing to allow us to put our best foot forward,” Shaver said.

St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik said the commitment is close to $ 500,000, when in- kind contributions are factored in.

“This is a St. Catharines team effort, and our team extends well beyond the corporation,” he said, referring to the work being done by the bid committee, St. Catharines Golf and Country Club and Brock University and Meridian Centre.

Niagara Regional Chair Alan Caslin said the event is estimated to have an economic impact of up to $ 15 million.

“This event means more dollars being spent in our community, and more investment taking place in Niagara,” Caslin said.

Ontario Curling Association executive director Stephen Chenier said he can’t play favourites between the two Ontario cities bidding on the Brier, which have both submitted “very strong and very good” bids.

But Chenier said Kingston’s anniversary might not be enough to give that city’s bid an edge over St. Catharines.

“I hate to use the word economics, but it comes down to a lot of that stuff. Can they make a profit on the event? Can they advance the sport of curling down the line?” he said.

“Their main focus at the end is they need to turn a profit from the competition.”

Meanwhile, Chenier said the Brier Patch planned by St. Catharines — it would close St. Paul Street to traffic and fill the pavement with a festival atmosphere during the Brier, featuring food, beverages and live entertainment — is also “a very unique and cool idea.”

“That might be a decision- maker for Curling Canada,” he said.

St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley said St. Catharines and Niagara have earned a reputation during the past several years for successfully running large sports events.

“One of the edges we have is our reputation,” Bradley said.

Geddie said the city’s location — “within an hours’ drive we’ve got about one- third of Canada’s population” — is another advantage.

“I think when Curling Canada looks at who’s going to draw the spectators, we’re in a better position than some of the other cities that are bidding because they’re more remotely located,” he said, adding curling “fanatics” from the U. S. will also likely cross the border to watch.

Grimsby resident Dwayne Pyper, who spent 40 years as a competitive curler, called Meridian Centre an ideal venue for a championship event such as the Brier.

“This event could be phenomenal for the area,” he said.

“A lot of people talk about the Grey Cup as being Canadiana, but I don’t think there’s anything like the Brier for really a true Canadian sporting event.”