The North Cariboo Joint Advisory Committee, which includes Quesnel City Council and the four northern CRD Directors, has rejected the Quesnel River Rush’s request to eliminate a $75,000 sustainability payment that the junior team makes to the Quesnel Kangaroos senior hockey club.
Mayor Ron Paull, also a Co-Chair of the Committee, noted that they were just two years into a five year contract.
“That’s a legal binding contract that we have between the River Rush and the Kangaroos. You know, any time for renegotiation of that contract would have to come at the end of the contract. That’s basically where I stand, and I believe that I stand with the committee on that, and I know that Co-Chair Jim Glassford was unable to be at that meeting because of a health situation, but I understand from Jim that he agrees with the committee on this as well.”
The $75,000 happened when the River Rush took over control of the advertising for the rink boards at the West Fraser Centre.
Mayor Paull didn’t close the door on the team’s other request for help which was to lower the fees they charge the River Rush to rent the ice.
“Certainly we would refer that back to staff to do a comparison of other rates at other facilities and see if we are out of line. We’re certainly not in a position to give the Rush or anybody else a special deal. We have set rates and we live within those rates, but certainly if the Rush is saying take a look at other communities, we will certainly do that.”
We asked him if he was concerned that we could lose one of the teams if they can’t come to a good agreement.
“Of course that would be a concern, but I think we’re going to work this thing through so that we keep both teams. I would hate to see us lose either of the two teams and we’re going to make sure that, without having to subsidize to a ridiculous number, and I know that the Rush and the Kangaroos are both very good at going out into the community and doing fundraisers and so on, they’ve both got a lot of support in the community, so I think that we can overcome this obstacle.”
The Quesnel River Rush made a presentation at the last Committee meeting asking or help in dealing with increased financial pressures due to the switch from a junior B league to junior A.
Those pressures include a reduction in league fees that players pay to the teams, as well as increased travel costs due to more away games and games that are further away due to realignment.
