Kelowna mayor flies to Regina in support of Memorial Cup bid

KELOWNA – The city hasn’t committed any serious cash yet, but Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran is flying to Regina today to take in the Canadian Hockey League Memorial Cup.

“It’s a show of support that we want to host this event,” communications consultant Marnie Douglas said. "The bid committee was going to do a presentation and they asked the mayor to come along.”

Basran was asked by the Kelowna Rockets to accompany them on the trip, along with representatives from Tourism Kelowna and the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce.

Beyond the mayor’s expenses for the five-day trip, Kelowna council has not made any financial commitment to the hosting bid for 2020, Douglas said.

“If there is a financial ask, council would have to approve it,” she added.

She did not know what the expenses for the trip would amount to as the mayor has to submit them after the trip is over.

Douglas said a cost benefit analysis of hosting the cup would likely be completed by city staff before a financial commitment is made.

In 2004, the non-profit Kelowna Memorial Cup Society estimated an economic benefit of between $15 and $17 million.

Council of the day gave a grant of $15,000 in support of the bid.

The league governors will decide which Canadian city will host the round robin tournament in October. The Kamloops Blazers have also made a bid.

Kelowna last hosted the Memorial Cup in 2004 when the Kelowna Rockets also won the tournament. The major junior team plays in the Western Hockey League.

The Rockets last made it to the Memorial Cup in 2015.

The Kelowna Rockets have made the city their home base since 1995 when the team moved from Tacoma, Washington.

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