A pair of golf tournaments is giving a little boost to the economy and spirits in Calgary.
There seems to be no end to the bad economic news. Oil continues to hover between $40 and $50 per barrel with predictions of little improvement, and Alberta’s unemployment rate is 8.6%, the highest it’s been since 1994.
"Everybody's hoping that the 2016 summer was going to be the bottom but all the indicators right now show that unfortunately is not going to be the case and we're going to have a rough ride," said Ward Sutherland, Ward 1 Councilor. “We need to do everything right now to generate some optimism but also to generate some jobs too.”
For now, it seems like the best thing to do is golf. The CP Women’s Open took place in Priddis this weekend, the 5th time the event has come to Alberta in the last 10 years. It's a boost for the economy and local charities.
"Because we're doing it in various cities across our network we're able to have an impact in that city,” said Martin Cej, Canadian Pacific. “It's a lasting impact, it's a lasting legacy and this time around it resulted in $2 million going to the Alberta Children's Hospital"
According to the Calgary Hotel Association, events like this and the Shaw Charity Classic golf tournament next week help raise sales by up to 20%. That adds up to millions of dollars for hotels, restaurants, transportation and other businesses.
