Chalk up another event that has fallen victim to the coronavirus as the Minerals North Conference that was going to be hosted by Quesnel this year has now been cancelled.
Mayor Bob Simpson…
“We were in dialogue as a city, because we were the hosting community, with Minerals North about the possibility of cancellation, some sponsors were talking to us. Minerals North is of course not until the end of April so we’re all unclear about what the timeline is for dealing with this particular pandemic, but as of yesterday’s announcement by the Provincial Public Health Officer that we’re to cancel events with over 250 people, then the decision was taken out of our hands.”
While there will be an economic hit to the city and local businesses, Simpson is hoping that some of that will be made up by local residents…
“I know lots of people are struggling with their own travel plans, I know a lot of people have already cancelled their travel plans. If people in our community and surrounding area are forced to do what’s called staycations, then my hope is that some of that money that was going to hotels and airlines and places elsewhere will find their way into our local economy.”
Simpson says all of the preparation work that has been done to host Minerals North won’t go to waste however…
“We’ve got an individual that helps to coordinate these events and of course the city’s Economic Development team was involved in it. I don’t think any of that organization will be lost. We’re in discussions with Mineral North about certainly hosting in 2022, that has been confirmed, but we’re certainly working with Minerals North to see if we can host the 2021 Minerals North conference.”
The conference, scheduled for April 29th through May 1st, was expected to attract around 350 people.