MPs are not convinced by the agreement between Tourism PEI. and the NHL

The Prince Edward Island tourism office says a partnership with the National Hockey League already demonstrates its value. The provincial deputies are skeptical.

Under a three-year agreement announced in February, Prince Edward Island became the official tourist destination of the National Hockey League (NHL).

This means that the NHL promotes the island’s tourist attractions in arenas across the continent, on its website and social networks, in addition to holding meetings or conferences in the province.

Before the Legislative Assembly Standing Committee on Education and Economic Growth, Thursday in Charlottetownofficials from Tourism PEI. stated that the value generated by the visibility that the province obtains in this partnership with the NHL amounts to $32 million.

Pressed with questions by the elected members of this committee, the spokespersons for the tourism agency, however, had difficulty explaining how they could arrive at this figure.

Unless you see butts on seats — or tax revenue, which is the real measure of return — you’re going to have to give me a better reason to call that a return on investmentreplied the Liberal MP Robert Henderson.

Confidentiality agreement with NHL

PEI Tourism hired an outside consultant to calculate the value of what the province receives in exchange for what it pays NHL.

Except it’s not clear how much she’s paying. In February, the provincial government said it had paid $2.5 million for the first year of this three-year partnership.

Officials explained Thursday that they could not say how much the province paid to the NHL this year — or for any future year, if the partnership continues — because it entered into a non-disclosure agreement with the league.

The liberal Henderson and the Green MP Peter Bevan-Baker asked why a contract that involves investing taxpayers’ money is thus attached to a confidentiality agreement.

We would never have concluded it if Prince Edward Island and all Prince Edwardians did not benefit from itinsisted the CEO of Tourism PEI, Kent MacDonald. The results are already visible.

In addition to promoting the attractions of Prince Edward Island, the NHL held in early September at Charlottetown a three-day summit, From the Crease to the Coastfor which nearly 200 people came, including the commissioner Gary Bettman.

Yet all this only brought in $1.2 million in tax revenue for the province, according to Robert Henderson.

I wouldn’t be prepared to say it’s only 1.2 million for the province. I don’t think it does justice [au partenariat]replied Keith Hansondirector of research and liaison at Tourism PEI.

The government will have the opportunity to withdraw from the agreement with the NHL at the end of the first year. The province can also, if it wishes, negotiate a new agreement for the following two years.

According to the report of Stephen Brun et Steve Bruce, CBC