OLDS — Olds council has voted to provide organizers of the 62nd Annual Rotary District 5360/5370 Curling Bonspiel with a $1,500 sponsorship, down from the $5,000 organizers had asked for.
The bonspiel will be held Feb. 28 to March 2 at the Olds Curling Club.
The sponsorship is being provided from the town’s $15,000 Mountain View Power (MVP) sponsorship budget.
The tournament is expected to draw 24 teams and 150 attendees to Olds, including curlers, spouses and other supporters from across Alberta, northern and southern B.C. and western Saskatchewan.
Organizers estimate it will pump more than $100,000 into the community over those three days.
Winners of the tournament qualify for the World Championship Bonspiel, to be held in Scotland in 2026.
“Our club will be donating any excess amounts, profit from the bonspiel, back into the community of Olds,” Bonspiel chairman Peter Premachuk wrote in a letter to the Town of Olds.
When the matter came up for discussion last month, chief administrative officer Brent Williams noted that last year, council gave $5,000 to the Olds Broncos volleyball championship.
He said that event drew a similar number of athletes, but several thousand spectators as well, compared to those anticipated for the Rotary event.
It was noted that if Rotary’s $5,000 request was granted, there would be $10,000 left in the MVP sponsorship budget for the remainder of the year.
Williams recommended to council that $1,500, not $5,000, be granted.
Coun. Dan Daley liked that idea and suggested the $1,500 figure, as did Coun. Heather Ryan.
Daley’s motion to that effect was passed.
Premachuk was contacted for his reaction to council's decision.
"We were unsure of what amount would be provided, if anything, and do not budget specific amounts expected from businesses in Olds," Premachuk wrote in an email. "Our Rotary club and bonspiel committee are aware that there are a number of non-profits in Olds that require funding at various times.
"We appreciate this donation. The money from MVP will assist in our goal to provide a first-class event in Olds, with a goal of returning any profits right back into the community.
"We have been impressed with this donation and many others that have pledged in the last few weeks. The business community in Olds always seems to step up for these types of events."
