ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Big boost to Edmonton economy during Oilers playoff run

Share

Locals and visitors to Edmonton have spent a lot of money since the Stanley Cup Playoffs kicked off in April.

"The numbers we have for the first three rounds is $179 million coming into our local economy," says Janelle Janis, executive director of events and business development with Explore Edmonton.

All that spending is benefiting businesses in the city, especially in downtown near the Rogers Place. However, establishments further away from the core are also feeling the ripple effect.

Travis Boa, general manager for Sea Change Brewing Company says they’ve seen an uptick in sales and their taprooms are almost full every night.

"It’s probably the most exciting thing that's been happening in the city for a long time. And people are just super geared up to get their jerseys on and come and enjoy the games and have a couple of pints", he said.

Even grocery stores are seeing popular items fly off their shelves on game night.

"It’s for a lot of gatherings and a lot of parties," said Teresa Spinelli, president of the Italian Centre Shop.

"Like our 'take and bake' pizzas, we do a lot of those all of the time, but particularly this time of year while there’s the Oilers playing we sell a lot of the specialty pizzas."

Explore Edmonton says its estimate on spending during the cup run is from visitors shopping, dining, staying in hotels and game ticket prices.

The cost to go to a game has skyrocketed and is expected to be even more expensive during the cup finals.

According to stubhub.ca, the price of a ticket to the finals in Edmonton is more than $3,000.

Moshe Lander, with the Department of Economics at Concordia University in Montreal, says the high ticket prices are the result of supply and demand.

"Don't be surprise if between now and October when the new season begins if somehow the Oilers sneak in an announcement that says next year's tickets for just the regular season are going to jump 10 per cent, 20 per cent. And if the Oilers win they could easily jump 50 per cent,†he said.

"Being in the Stanley Cup finals really puts Edmonton in that global spotlight," said Puneeta McBryan, CEO of the Downtown Business Association of Edmonton.

"People are looking at Edmonton in a way that they’ve never really looked at Edmonton before. So, I don’t think it can be overstated how big of an impact this is having on our city." 

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

Shamattawa RCMP are searching for a missing six-year-old boy who hasn’t been seen since Wednesday morning.

B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault is calling on the Bloc Quebecois to topple the Trudeau government next Wednesday and trigger a federal election.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.

Stay Connected