Moose Jaw embraces visitors, economic boost that come with world curling championship

Sarah Onyango · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 31, 2025 7:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Moose Jaw, Sask., is making it's people connected the planetary sports signifier this week arsenic the big of the BKT World Men's Curling Championship.

The lawsuit is not lone bringing excitement to the city, but besides an influx of some home and planetary tourists.

"It's a precise beauteous spot and they are [the] kindest people," said Yuri Nakamuri, a sponsor for the Japanese curling team.

When they're not watching curling, tourists are retired hitting the town.

"I privation to bask staying here," Nakamuri said.

Local businesses and retailers are seeing an economical boost from the tourists, who are calling the metropolis location implicit the nine-day event.

"We've seen a batch of Canadians coming from each antithetic places — Alberta, Manitoba, B.C. — and we besides saw, we've had respective visits conscionable contiguous of radical that are not unneurotic from the United States," said Joanne Klassen, who co-owns a souvenir store downtown with her sister.

Spring is usually a slower play for retailers successful Moose Jaw, but some section spots are seeing an antithetic uptick thanks to the championship.

"We're decidedly going to beryllium having a truly engaged week," said Reid Martin, concern operations adjunct astatine the Tunnels of Moose Jaw.

Some businesses and retailers are adjacent adding unit to help handle the upcoming demand.

"We're prepared with other unit for sure," she said.

"We person respective other radical working, and we've ordered other inventory to marque definite that we're each acceptable with that and marque definite everything was perfectly location cleaned and each of that worldly similar that."

Bringing the assemblage together

Community members are optimistic astir the semipermanent benefits the title whitethorn have.

"We privation radical to travel backmost to Moose Jaw again," Klassen said.

"We privation them to spot the hospitality of Moose Jaw."

WATCH | Businesses booming arsenic fans battalion Moose Jaw for satellite men's curling championship: 

Moose Jaw Mayor James Murdock said hosting the event requires hundreds of volunteers, each of whom person been excited to beryllium welcoming planetary tourists and making definite things tally smoothly.

"These are dedicated members of the assemblage who consciousness that giving backmost is truthful important," Murdock said.

He believes the tone of assemblage transportation has strengthened the enslaved betwixt locals and tourists.

"Curling is the athletics that does that. It unites everyone."

Long-term economical impacts

With 13 planetary teams attending the championships, Moose Jaw has the accidental to showcase its hospitality and infrastructure to new audiences.

Curling Canada expects the metropolis to spot $12 cardinal to and $15 cardinal pumped into the section system by the event.

"There are truthful galore spin-offs due to the fact that of this and it's an important injection into the community, that's for sure," Murdock said.

Murdock hopes a palmy lawsuit could pull others to Moose Jaw successful the future.

"It's putting america successful the provincial spotlight, the nationalist spotlight," Murdock said.

"That is an unbelievable opportunity, and the metropolis and the assemblage is acceptable to clasp that."