When Nanaimo citizens vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to a multiplex, they’ll also be voting ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to major junior hockey.
It isn’t included in the referendum question, but the prospect of a Western Hockey League franchise in Nanaimo could be part of the decision-making process for a lot of people leading up to the March 11 vote.
Coun. Bill Bestwick told the News Bulletin last week that it’s a “100 per cent” certainty that the WHL will be coming to town if the referendum passes. Hockey hasn’t been a major talking point, however, because the municipality can’t reveal details of the league’s dealings with a privately owned club, reportedly the Cranbrook-based Kootenay Ice. Kim Fowler, Nanaimo’s chief sustainability officer, said that the WHL was leading those negotiations and that the city was working on a memorandum of understanding with the league.
WHL commissioner Ron Robison would offer only a prepared statement, saying that “should the City of Nanaimo approve the construction of a new facility which meets WHL standards, the WHL will seek the necessary approvals to deliver a WHL team either through relocation of an existing franchise or expansion.”
Bestwick was asked if being unable to talk freely about a Nanaimo WHL club handicaps the argument for a multiplex.
“I think so, because it aids the people that don’t want this to happen, that are saying, ‘it’s never going to happen, the Western Hockey League’s not coming…’” he said. “But I get why we can’t. That’s why we’re not.”
The WHL has repeatedly expressed interest in Nanaimo as a potential market during the past decade, and when Victoria rejoined the league in 2011-12 it renewed the potential for travel efficiencies on road trips to Vancouver Island. But it wasn’t until last summer, when city councillors decided on five strategic priorities, including a sports and events centre, that the WHL reached out to the municipality. So the multiplex became a priority before the WHL expressed renewed interest, not vice-versa, said Bestwick.
“I don’t know who they connected with,” he said. “It wasn’t me, although everybody will probably say it was.”
The 2019-20 hockey season became a target date, and although Bestwick acknowledged that accommodating the WHL has had some impact on the timeline for study and consultation, he said “you have to move at the speed of business” and he doesn’t feel the city has been rushed.
“When we concluded our strategic plan and [chose] five items, I think right then, work began on all of them, recognizing that the process is a long one … so it had to start as expeditiously as possible,” he said. “It’s a long process all by itself just to get to the point where you can decide whether you’re going to do it or not.”
He believes a WHL club in Nanaimo would see sufficient fan support. He pointed to the population of the mid Island, the “rich tradition of hockey” in the city, the attraction of the downtown location, and everything that comes along with the comfort and atmosphere of a new facility.
Major junior hockey is one tier higher than the junior A hockey that is currently played in Nanaimo. The athletes are the same age, but many more go on to become top draft picks and stars in the NHL. Average attendance at WHL games in 2015-16 was 4,535, according to www.hockeydb.com. As a comparison, the Nanaimo Clippers of the B.C. Hockey League averaged 1,344.
Fowler said Frank Crane Arena has been deemed acceptable as a temporary facility for a WHL team if a sports and events centre is being constructed in time for autumn of 2019. John Grisdale, BCHL commissioner, said the Clippers would be “dislocated” the moment a WHL team signs a lease at Frank Crane. The Clippers, as previously reported in the News Bulletin, have already discussed contingency plans and could consider relocating the franchise or suspending hockey operations.