Penticton curlers prepared as they seek council funding

PENTICTON – Penticton curling representatives will be well armed with facts about economic gains of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts event held earlier this year when they come before Penticton council tomorrow looking for funding.

Penticton curling representatives Cathy Jones and Joe Dias will be speaking to council about funding for a new chiller for the Penticton Curling Club, in addition to applying for a matching grant to upgrade the facility.

The curlers are bringing with them a report from the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance, who recently completed an economic impact assessment of the Tournament of Hearts.

The event took place in Penticton Jan. 27 to Feb. 4, 2018, at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

The report found organizers spent $1.2 million on goods and services during the event, which supported $8 million in economic activity throughout the province, and $6.7 million worth of economic activity in Penticton alone.

The report also found 5,800 out of town visitors spent $3.85 million during the tournament, which also supported 43 local jobs.

The economic impact assessment studies measure positive change in economic activity resulting from hosting an event in a specific city or town, factoring in such things as out-of-town visitor spending, expenditures made during the event, and capital construction costs attributed to hosting the event.

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