September 2, 2021 – The Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) and Tourism Thunder Bay are pleased to provide the Kam River Fighting Walleye with $2,500 in funding support in order to host the Teleco Cup in Thunder Bay. The Teleco Cup is a Junior A pre-season hockey tournament featuring the Kam River Fighting Walleye, two teams from the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, and one from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

The tournament is scheduled to occur from September 10^th to September the 12^th, with a total of eight playable games at the NorWest Arena. The tournament will also be live streamed courtesy of the Superior International Junior Hockey league and represents the initial stages of sport tourism recovery.

“We are very excited to be hosting the Teleco Cup preseason challenge in Thunder Bay” Says Derek Geddes, President of the Kam River Fighting Walleye. “The teams travelling to the city from out of town will create a very positive economic impact for our community, as they stay in local hotels, eat in local restaurants, and take in unique Thunder Bay experiences.”

“The funding received from the CEDC and Tourism Thunder Bay through the CEDC Municipal Accommodation Tax Funding Program will insure that we are able to provide out of town participants a memorable Thunder Bay experience that they will never forget.”

The CEDC MAT Fund provides financial support to events with the capacity to attract more visitors to Thunder Bay, increase visitor spending, and generate room nights at local accommodations. The CEDC and Tourism Thunder Bay collectively administer the program in support of the continued growth of tourism.

“Sport tourism is a major economic driver for our tourism sector that has been impacted during the pandemic. The Teleco Cup represents a return to sport play in the city and will be a catalyst event for other sport groups to begin organizing their return to sport event hosting” said Paul Pepe, Manager of Tourism Thunder Bay.