Rimouski, Quebec, May 6, 2009 – The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, today announced that the Rimouski Océanic hockey club has been awarded $50,000 in non-repayable funding through the Agency's Community Diversification Initiative for the promotion of the 91st edition of the Memorial Cup, which takes place in Rimouski from May 15 to 24, 2009.
Considered to be the country's most prestigious national junior hockey championship, the Memorial Cup is a popular event among hockey fans from coast to coast. Organizers therefore want to take the opportunity to promote and showcase the Bas-Saint-Laurent region and its countless attractions to Canadian visitors and journalists attending the Rimouski event. The funding will serve for, among other things, the production of promotional materials and tools and the development of media relations. These commercialization activities will necessitate an overall investment of $458,000.
"Wherever it is held, the Memorial Cup always succeeds in attracting a great many visitors. This sports competition has the potential to play a major role in local tourism development, which is why the Government of Canada is so pleased to lend its support to the promotion of this event. This Memorial Cup tournament, which draws the elite in Canadian junior hockey, will undoubtedly prove to be one of Bas-Saint-Laurent's best calling cards, while providing visitors with a golden opportunity to discover the region and all it has to offer," explained the Minister of State.
The Memorial Cup tournament is expected to generate an estimated $3,600,000 in tourism revenues for the region throughout its 10 days of activities. In addition to these economic spinoffs, the competition also promises to draw considerable media attention, bringing greater exposure to the Bas-Saint-Laurent region as a whole.
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Sources:
Karina Gagnon
Communications
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 418-368-6048 or 1-866-368-0044
E-mail: karina.gagnon@dec-ced.gc.ca
Éric Lefebvre
Senior Special Assistant, Communications
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Cell.: 613-608-7906
E-mail: eric.lefebvre@dec-ced.gc.ca
