‘This is what we do’: Edmonton mayor on hosting World Cup hockey games

Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack discusses being one of three cities to play host to the 2028 World Cup of Hockey.

Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack joins Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins to discuss Alberta’s successful bid to host the World Cup of Hockey in 2028.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Michael Higgins: Around 25 North American and European cities were in the running for this.

What put the joint Edmonton-Calgary bid at the top of the pile?

Andrew Knack: There’s a few things. Obviously, having that joint connectivity between Edmonton and Calgary is important. Shared ownership over this responsibility was a great way to convince the NHL and all of our partners to be involved. Putting my Edmonton hat on specifically, Edmonton is the number one host city in Canada for major sporting events. We’re number 22 in the world. This is what we do. This is what we’ve been doing for so many years. To me it’s no shock we would be chosen in partnership with Calgary to host this major event.

MH: Was it a joint bid all along?

AK: Early on, the premier posed that idea and then we were talking about it. So really it’s been a joint bid for quite some time, and I think that’s really exciting. It’s a great way to showcase our entire province, the two biggest cities, and just bring everyone across this province together for what is going to be one of the best events in 2028.

MH: How preferable is it to have the semi-final and final games in Edmonton?

AK: Boy, I’m really excited about that. At that point you’ve got the best of the best of the best who are going to be playing here in Edmonton. It’s going to be huge for our city. We always do a great job with these mega events. But I cannot wait to see the best talent in the world in Rogers Place playing the semi-finals and finals.

MH: Each city is kicking in $2.5 million. How important is it that the provincial and federal governments put taxpayer dollars towards this?

AK: It is important because we know the province has really been leaning into the tourism economy. They’ve seen so much value and an increase in support and an increase in tourism to this province. Even from the federal government side tourism is becoming a pretty big industry.

It’s why in the city of Edmonton during our last budget we invested an additional $11 million into Explore Edmonton, so they can further attract more large-scale events, build on the momentum we’ve already been seeing. This is an economic driver. The amount of hotel stays, the restaurants that are going to benefit, the retailers that are going to benefit from this. This is one of those situations that, yes, it’s taxpayer money, but you see a significant return to your local economy far outweighing the money being put into it.

MH: How realistic is the province’s projected $375 million economic impact?

AK: It’s a huge piece. We know tourism agencies across the world used the same sort of calculator to determine economic value. At the end of the day you can just sort of do the math, which is thinking about how many people are going to travel here. Certainly we’re going to have a lot of local folks attending, but to see the best in the world we know that’s going to attract folks from across this province, across the country and even internationally.

Everyone that’s coming, they’re not coming for one night and leaving. They’re going to be coming for multiple nights. That’s really beneficial to the hoteliers, who are often a little slower during the winter months. It’s going to benefit our local restaurants, which can sometimes be a little slower right after Christmas. So whether it’s exactly that number or it’s a little bit more, even if it was a little bit less, it’s still a giant economic return for our city and for this entire province.

MH: The cities will be welcoming international visitors and international media exposure.

What will be on Edmonton’s shoulders as far as putting the best face forward?

AK: It’s going to be continuing to do what we’ve always been doing. Edmonton is one of the best host cities in the world. We know how to showcase our city. We know how to welcome people from across the world. We do it all the time here.

Groups like Explore Edmonton have been doing phenomenal work in. You’ve seen the parties during the Stanley Cup runs. We know how to put on a party. We’re going to be doing it safely for all of our visitors. It’s going to be a long party where so many people benefit.

MH: What are your priorities and what still needs to be put in place before 2028?

AK: What’s great for Edmonton is we already have everything we need in place. Calgary is obviously finishing their new arena, so that needs to be finished. We heard yesterday, quite clearly, that will be done and ready to go. We already have the arena, we have the infrastructure. We’ve hosted long playoff runs into the Stanley Cup Finals. We even know from a security perspective how to do that. We know how to respond for activation, not just in and around Ice District, but across the city. That’s what it’s going to be, sort of treating this almost like the Stanley Cup Finals. That’s the level of energy and excitement that will be here with even more international visitors than we get during our local Stanley Cup runs.

MH: You had municipal, provincial and federal politicians up on stage together celebrating the announcement.

How comfortable a conversation was that? Is this event a unifier?

AK: I think it is. There’s always going to be different issues we disagree on, whether it be with a provincial or federal government. But I think one thing we can all agree on is hockey, sports and tourism, and the economic benefit. This is not just a fun event for people to enjoy, which it is. This is about an economic driver for our cities, for our province, for our country. It’s great to see that alignment across all orders of government, because we understand the importance of that and we need to continue to work on that in this ever changing world. Let’s continue to attract people from across the world to showcase what makes this country so incredible, and, very selfishly, what makes Edmonton one of the best cities in the world.