The Revelstoke Grizzlies Society received a boost in its efforts to keep the Junior B hockey team in Revelstoke when council voted unanimously to write a letter of “moral” support.
In a letter that was presented to council at its meeting last Tuesday, Apr. 24, society president Mavis Cann asked council for the moral support, specifying she was not requesting a financial commitment from the city.
The move was the latest in the society’s efforts to save the team since it was learned at the beginning of April that the current ownership group of Grizzly Sports Entertainment filed an application with the league to sell the team to a group in 100 Mile House.
However, when the society first sold the team in 2006, a clause was put in the contract giving it the right to buy the team back for $1 should the team be moved or folded within 10 years.
Since the society learned of the pending sale, it has been soliciting community and corporate support in order to determine if it is feasible to keep the team in Revelstoke. A petition circulated by the society around town and online has garnered more than 1,000 signatures.
The society is scheduled to make a presentation to the KIJHL Board of Governors at it’s meeting this Sunday, May 6. The board is set to vote on the sale at that time.
“The moral support from the City of Revelstoke would go a long way in this presentation,” Cann wrote in her letter.
While discussing the letter, some councillors noted if it stays, the team will have to pay its own way, including what’s owed to the city.
Coun. Gary Starling noted the team was in arrears with the city.
“We’re not going to financially support a team here,” he said. “I think that should be included in the letter.”
As of early April when plans to move the team to 100 Mile House became public, the Revelstoke Grizzlies owed the city $22,898.74.
Coun. Tony Scarcella felt council should support efforts to keep the team here.
“The Grizzlies are a big part of Revelstoke,” he said. “We should do the most ... we can do.”
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Disclosure: Mavis Cann is the publisher of the Revelstoke Times Review. As always, the Times Review editorial department will strive for fairness while reporting this ongoing story. If you have any concerns, please contact editor Aaron Orlando at 250-837-4667 or express them in a letter to the editor.