Ontario Traveler Men’s Curling Competition

Hayley Smith is curling enthusiast, so when she saw an opportunity to bring the 2015 Northern Ontario Traveler Men’s Curling Championship to Kenora, the Keewatin Curling Club president jumped at it. “Our own facility is too small to host an event of that size, so we approached the City of Kenora.” With the Kenora Recreation Centre on board and a plan in place to retrofit the arena – this involved converting arena ice to curling ice and removing all the plexiglass to ensure good viewing – Smith then went to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. The NOHFC signed on. “NOHFC funding was critical in helping to cover our advertising costs,” says Smith. The event, which took place February 4-8, 2015, was a huge success. Featuring Northern Ontario’s best teams, including Brad Jacob’s Olympic gold medal winning rink, it attracted more than 5,000 spectators and convinced Kenora of the benefits of hosting future curling tournaments.