‘Tremendous disappointment’: Major economic blow with World Juniors cancellation

'It's quite a social impact on Canada. This tournament really is an opportunity for us to fly the flag for a lot of celebration.'

The cancellation of the 2022 World Juniors hockey tournament, which was being held in Edmonton and Red Deer, has blown another economic wound into a hospitality industry that has been hit time and time again through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tournament was cancelled Wednesday after after multiple COVID-19 cases were found within the teams.

Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston said the community is reeling from the decision.

“It strikes me on several levels,” Johnston said. “The first is the tremendous disappointment — the emotional level of the decision.

“The (second is) the impact on our local economy, particularly in a COVID environment where we’re already hurting from a hospitality perspective, from a restaurant perspective.

“This is the type of event that would bring a tremendous amount of tourist activity to Red Deer,” Johnston said.

The World Juniors was set to hold 31 games in Edmonton and Red Deer from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. Only nine of the games were held before the tournament was cancelled by the International Ice Hockey Federation.

“The build-up was huge… we were ready, and the community was ready, and it was very exciting times,” said Rene Rondeau, the executive director of Tourism Red Deer, who said despite the disappointment he understands why the decision was made.