World Junior Hockey Tournament The province said Thursday it generated about $20 million in economic activity in New Brunswick.
In a release, it said that more than 100,000 people from around the world attended the championship games in Moncton. The tournament took place in Moncton and Halifax from 26 December to 5 January, with pre-tournament activities taking place in Moncton, Quispamsis, St Stephen’s and Bouctoche.
“We welcome the world to New Brunswick,” Minister of Tourism, Heritage and Culture Tammy Scott-Wallace said in the release.
“This event will benefit the province for many years as people experience the province for the first time and others rediscover it. We thank the more than 150 volunteers, partners and supporters who helped make the tournament a success.
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Scott-Wallace, who is also the minister responsible for women’s equality, said the province also launched a sexual violence prevention campaign that reached 269,000 residents and visitors. This came after Hockey Canada became embroiled in a scandal over its handling of sexual harassment allegations.
“The province had a responsibility to send the message on the international stage that there is no tolerance for sexual violence in sport and that the culture in sport must continue to improve,” Scott-Wallace said in the release.
“We cannot accept this, and we owe it to New Brunswickers to make that message clear. It is the responsibility of all of us at every level in sport, from parents to players, from coaches to our organizations And there is a role.
By province, the incident resulted in:
- Hotel bookings up by 40 per cent compared to normal December;
- record attendance for any event held at Avenir Center;
- collected up to $2 million in provincial tax revenue;
- over three million people watched the game from New Brunswick on television;
- 140 percent increase in activity on the ExploreNB website;
- Always Invite marketing campaign launched;
- The 50/50 proceeds raised $150,000 to support community organizations working to support sexual violence prevention.
Nick Jansen, the executive director of Hockey New Brunswick, said the event was a “resounding success”.
“This is an excellent opportunity for New Brunswickers to see the best under-20 players from around the world and future NHL stars. In addition to watching world-class hockey, hosting the World Juniors will provide a legacy that makes the sport safer and more accessible is,” he said.
As Global News reported earlier this week, Moncton and Halifax Can make another run at World Juniors In 2025.
Hockey Canada has stated that “many factors” will be considered when selecting the final host site for 2025, “including community engagement, participant experience, hosting experience, financial viability and local support.”
“Hockey Canada has returned to previous host communities within the last two-year period, and if Halifax and Moncton are interested and propose the best hosting model Hockey Canada will consider returning in 2025,” it said.
Scott-Wallace said at the time that the province would “definitely evaluate the opportunity to host the tournament again.”
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