Hawkesbury is bidding for a major junior hockey tournament.
The Hawks Jr. “A” club is hoping to host the 2021 Fred Page Cup at the at the Robert Hartley Complex.
The annual tournament is between the champions of the Central Canada Hockey League, the Maritime Junior Hockey League, the Quebec Junior Hockey League, and the host team.
Whichever team wins the cup moves on to the Junior “A” National Championship, the Royal Bank Cup.
At its April 15 meeting, Hawkesbury town council voted to charge the Hawks organization 50 per cent less to rent the rink, multi-room, and pool at the complex if it hosts the tournament, which would take place from April 27 to May 2 in 2021.
Normally, the rental costs for the arena would be more than $9,600 for that time period. At half-price, it is more than $4,800.
Hosting the tournament would also mean more than $4,800 in additional bar revenue for the town. However, it would also result in more than $3,500 in extra staffing costs.
Recreation Director Nicole Trudeau explained that the ice at the arena is normally in until the end of April, but it would be kept for an extra week if Hawkesbury is hosting the tournament.
“This is very prestigious for the town; it’s good for hockey,” said Councillor André Chamaillard.
The town is anticipating that hosting the Fred Page Cup will benefit local businesses and tourism. It also believes it will put Hawkesbury in a position to host more major events and make it easier to secure future grants for improvements at the recreation complex.
