North Stars to receive operating grant increase from city

Reichert said the club requires an increase in its operating grant, as it is facing a number of financial hardships.

He said one challenge for the club is that even though it is a
non-profit, it is not able to apply for funding relief through the Community Grant Program administered by the city due to some restrictions in the program.

Another issue, Reichert said the club’s fixed operating costs, including the fees for ice and paying for the use of buildings, etc., are about 18 per cent higher than the league average.

The club is also anticipating increased costs for the year ahead.

“We are preparing for some significant cost increases this year of close to about 30 per cent. Most of that is going to be in travel, and in fuel costs, bussing costs, and so on. This year is going to be a real struggle for the club,” Reichert said.

Another challenge, back in 2019 the average attendance was 831 per game. However, this past year the North Stars had about 680 patrons on average per game this past season, related to the impact from the pandemic.

“We’re trying to look at new directions to try to increase our attendance,” Reichert said. “We feel that with COVID hopefully at bay here, we can start to get back to our attendance where we were before. That is one-third of how we generate revenue for the hockey club.”

On a positive note, he noted the North Stars provide a great financial benefit to the community, directly and indirectly, to bring in revenue to North Battleford. The North Stars brought in just over $1.4 million per year to the city’s gross domestic product, based on a 2019 evaluation. While that has decreased a little due to some of the recent challenges, the club still aims to bring in about $1 million per year as a total financial benefit in the future.

Also, looking ahead, Reichert said as a highlight for 2023, the Battlefords North Stars have been selected to host the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) Hall of Fame ceremony weekend.

“This will provide a small economic boon for the area, with hotels, restaurants, retail and gas stations, and ultimately the City of North Battleford will benefit,” Reichert said. “So that’s some good news going forward.”

He added the North Stars has upwards of about six local hockey players that came up through the Battlefords Minor Hockey Association in its line-up in the coming year, which will also be good for the club.

“We are hoping that will start to bring some people back into the stands,” he said.

Reichert also noted the club will be celebrating its 50^th anniversary in the SJHL in 2023 as something to look forward to.

“That’s a pretty big accomplishment. That bodes well for the city and the support we get from the city through the years, that we have been able to be here for 50 years,” he said.

He also noted that the North Stars club has been doing whatever it can to trim costs in the last few years during the COVID situation to be proactive. That effort will continue in the years to come.

“Because of some government support and support through the City of North Battleford, we managed to break even and put a few dollars in our pockets,” Reichert said. “This past year we did have a small loss. It continues to be a battle going forward.”

He said the club is appreciative to the city for all of its support.

Mayor David Gillan congratulated the club on its milestone anniversary, and commended Reichert and the existing and prior boards for the work that has helped keep the organization going over the years.

On the issue of grants, city administration noted that the club is not able to apply for the city’s Community Grant Program because of a clause related to semi-professional hockey players in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

Gillan also took the opportunity to recommend the North Stars club look into whether they can apply for a grant through the Community Development Corporation Program managed by the Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs.

Council approved the city resolution to renew the lease between the City of North Battleford and the Battleford North Stars Hockey Club for a three-year term.

Councillor Kelli Hawtin was not able to participate in the delegation and lease agreement discussion during council’s meeting due to a conflict of interest as her husband is vice-president of the North Stars board.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW

by Angela Brown

North Stars to receive operating grant increase from city

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