World Juniors expected to bring in millions to local economy: Halifax Chamber of Commerce

By Chris Halef

The president of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce anticipates the World Juniors will bring in millions of dollars to the region as the tournament is set to start later this month.

Hosting duties is being split between Halifax and Moncton with the first games taking place Dec. 26.

Patrick Sullivan, president and CEO with the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, told CityNews Halifax they're very excited to be one of the cities welcoming teams for this event.

“We're going to have a good couple of weeks of strong activity,” he said. “We're going to have visitors and hotel rooms full.”

Sullivan expects this event to have a positive economic impact for both Halifax and Moncton, adding Saskatchewan conducted a study earlier this year when it was in the running to host the World Juniors.

“Saskatchewan estimated $50 million, so if you split that it's likely $20 million for Halifax and probably a little less for Moncton since there's not as many games there,” said Sullivan.

Sullivan said that study also found the event could potentially attract over 20,000 visitors and produce over 15,000 hotel room nights during a period where there generally aren't a lot of tourists. 

But it's not all positive as Sullivan says one of the main concerns is possible labour shortages.

“It's going to be tough because there are many students who go home for Christmas and may not be available to perhaps work in the hotels and restaurants that they normally work in part time,” he said. “Illness could be a big factor as well to keep people out of the workplace over the course of this event.”

Overall, Sullivan is optimistic and believes the event will help bolster the local economy by bringing millions of dollars into the regions businesses.

The first games in Halifax take place Boxing Day with Sweden taking on Austria in the afternoon while Canada squares off against Czech Republic in the evening.
 

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