Regina, Saskatoon considering bid to host world junior hockey championship in 2023

Regina and Saskatoon are considering putting forth a bid to host the 2023 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.

The City of Regina is hosting a special meeting on Friday to discuss consideration of a report which includes recommendations for Saskatchewan to try to host the tournament.

Regina and Saskatoon last hosted the World Juniors in 2010.

“Really working in lockstep with Saskatoon, no different than we did back in 2010, looking to hold the 2023 world juniors,” Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said in an interview with CTV Morning Live Regina Thursday.

“We think Saskatchewan will have a very compelling bid to bring forward. And we do know that we’re a host province, so pretty excited about it.”

City administration is recommending council support the bid to co-host with Saskatoon, with a total contribution of up to $350,000 from the city.

The support for the approval is contingent on confirmed funding coming from other organizations, such as the City of Saskatoon and Tourism Saskatchewan.

The Events, Conventions and Tradeshows (ECT) Alliance has been invited to participate in the preparation of the bid. The ECT Alliance includes Economic Development Regina (EDR) and consists of representation from senior leaders at Regina Hotel Association (RHA), REAL District (REAL), Tourism Saskatchewan and the City of Regina.

The proposed $350,000 commitment would be taken from ECT funding, including $115,000 in an uncommitted 2022 attraction budget and $235,000 in uncommitted funds from the ECT reserve.

The ECT Alliance conducted an analysis on the possibility of hosting the event, concluding it would enhance the accessibility of an international event to Regina citizens, contribute to the city’s fall/winter events calendar, provide significant media exposure for the city and provide economic benefit.

According to the city report, Hockey Canada states hosting the tournament would result in $50 million in economic impact for host cities. An estimated 300,000-plus fans are estimated to attend the 31 games, booking over 15,000 rooms accommodation nights.

Additionally, the games broadcast on TSN/RDS would result in more than 120 million viewers worldwide, the report states.

“It is important to note that benefits listed above are for the Championship as a whole. Regina as a co-host will therefore only receive a portion of these benefits,” the report reads.

“An exact split is not determinable at this time but ECT Alliance representatives have estimated a possible 60/40 split between Saskatoon and Regina.”

The city notes that with Edmonton hosting the 2022 World Junior Hockey Championship in August and Regina hosting the Grey Cup in November, the financial capacity for western Canadian, and specifically Regina, sports fans buying tickets could be reduced this year.

“It is also possible that the next opportunity to attract the Championships to Saskatchewan will be several years in the future,” the report said.

On top of the city and other stakeholder contributions, provincial government funding is also possible. In 2010, the city said the Government of Saskatchewan provided $3 million for the winning bid fee. Hockey Canada states past tournaments have received government funding in excess of $5 million.

The council will discuss the possibility of hosting the Championship at a special meeting at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

The Ottawa Senators and Quebec City announced they would be exploring a joint bid to host the tournament as well.

The 2023 tournament was set to be hosted by Russia, but the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) decided to move the event due to conflict in Ukraine.