The North Cariboo Joint Advisory Committee has agreed to help out the Quesnel Kangaroos Hockey Club in a Coy Cup hosting year.
A new one year agreement with the club to use the West Fraser Centre was endorsed at last week’s meeting that not only allows for glass advertising as a pilot project to boost revenue, but also provides a break on advertising fees.
John Massier is the CRD Director for Area C.
“I would move the amendment that we go up to a maximum of $7,000 subject to the club demonstrating that expenses to host the Coy Cup in 2023 exceeded revenues and that the club suffered a loss.”
Not everyone was on board as Councillor Martin Runge was one of two people opposed.
“I think what we’re doing is actually subsidizing this club. We’re already giving them extra revenue for the glass advertising, so there is an extra revenue boost that we’re giving that wasn’t there before.”
Runge felt it was opening up a Pandora’s box for groups to move things around and get the taxpayers to fund things, adding that it comes out of the revenue to run the arena.
Councillor Scott Elliott disagreed.
“I respect the opinion of Councillor Runge but they are the ones that have gone out and got the advertising. If they didn’t go out and get the advertising in the first place, we wouldn’t have that advertising.”
Elliott noted that the team needs extra money to pay for the clubs to come to the Coy Cup as they have to cover their travel and hotel expenses.
He added that the money that the teams would then spend in the community will vastly outweigh a few thousand dollars.
CRD Area Director B Barb Bachmeier was also opposed.
The motion still has to be approved by Quesnel City Council, which is the manager of the North Cariboo Recreation and Parks Service.
The fee that the Kangaroos will pay to use the West Fraser Centre for this season went up by 5 percent, as did the fee for all users.
It now sits at $21,928.50.
The Coy Cup will take pace at the end of March.
