Red Deer County councillors have stepped into the crease for the Red Deer Rebels' 2013 Memorial Cup bid, approving a financial contribution of $150,000.The money will be used as a backstop in the event tournament revenues fall below the commitment made in the committee's bid to the Western Hockey League.Darcy Mykytyshyn, the bid committee chair, called the county's commitment to provide a safety net for the bid ìawesomeî news. He said it was important to secure a financial contribution from both the city and county councils before proceeding. Red Deer city council had approved a $300,000 financial contribution in July.ìIt gives the bid committee a lot of confidence that we can go to the (Western Hockey League) board of governors in October and put forward a compelling and successful bid,î Mykytyshyn said minutes after making a presentation to council at its Aug. 16 meeting. ìIt just increased the odds of getting this event in Central Alberta significantly.îThe bid, which was announced by the Rebels in March, was selected as one of three finalists by the WHL in June along with proposals from the Saskatoon Blades and Kelowna Rockets. The three groups will make their final pitches to the board of governors on Oct. 15, with the winning bid expected to be announced the following day. The event was last held in Alberta in 1974, when it was hosted at the Stampede Corral in Calgary.According to the committee's projections, more than 65,000 people would be expected to attend games during the 10-day tournament, which is scheduled to take place from May 17 to 26, 2013. Mykytyshyn said it will create 100 new jobs, bring over 5,000 visitors to Central Alberta, and have an overall economic impact of $17.8 million.Organizers will be approaching five area hotels, including one in Gasoline Alley, to be ìhostî hotels for the event, Mykytyshyn said. They also want to utilize Red Deer Regional Airport in Springbrook ñ organizers want to fly the teams in to the airport and then bus them to their respective hotels.Organizers also chatted with Red Deer officials about making the Memorial Cup the kickoff event for the city's centennial celebrations in 2013, Mykytyshyn said.While some councillors asked for reassurances the money would not be needed, Mayor Jim Wood said it was important to recognize the talent on the bidding committee.ìThe odds that something would ever go awry is so minimal,î he said, adding the Memorial Cup would bring ìlifeî and economic development to the area. ìI do believe our county will benefit from it, so will our youth.îNext year the Rebels' home rink, the Enmax Centrium, will receive a $3.4 to $4 million expansion that will add 1,000 seats and 14 luxury suites to the 6,000-seat venue. In June, Red Deer County committed $500,000 to the project.Mykytyshyn said Central Alberta has already proven it can host successful events at the local, provincial and national level and area residents have already contacted the bid committee to volunteer. If the Rebels are successful in their bid they will require between 700 to 1,000 volunteers to pull off the event, he added.ìWestern Canada has a good, strong history of making this event a success,î Mykytyshyn said.ìWe're really excited and have all the confidence in the world that this will be a huge success.î
