2004 Nokia Brier Economic Impact Assessment Released

OTTAWA, ON. July 23, 2004 - The economic impact assessment of the 2004 Nokia Brier, held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan from March 6 - 14th was released today by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance (CSTA).

The Brier generated a total estimated economic activity of $23.2 million in the province including $19.5 million in the city of Saskatoon. These totals resulted from $13.3 million in combined operations, capital and visitors spending. The event contributed over $11 million to the provincial GDP. A total of $4.5 million in wages and salaries were paid in the province, supporting 238 jobs. In Saskatoon, wages totaled approximately $3.7 million and supported 205 jobs. The total level of taxes received by all levels of governments as a result of the event was estimated to be more than $3.1 million, distributed as follows:

• $1.5 million accrued to the federal government
• $1.3 million to the Province of Saskatchewan
• $347,000 to municipal governments, including $298,000 to the city of Saskatoon.

The event involved 72 participants and an estimated 12,568 other visitors to the region.

The Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance conducted the study in partnership with the Canadian Tourism Commission, Tourism Saskatoon and the Canadian Curling Association. To conduct the assessment, the CSTA used the Sport Tourism Economic Assessment Model (STEAM) which measures the economic benefits of a sport event on a community. Approximately 595 on-site surveys were conducted and collated at the event, representing a confidence level of +/- 3.5%, 19 times out of 20. The survey was conducted using the Techneos Entryware Pro System, which features the Entryware Designer software program for preparing the questionnaires as well as Entryware for Palm OS running on handheld PDA's for data collection.

"Tourism is about Economic Development - creating jobs and benefit for the whole community, said Todd Brandt, President and CEO of Tourism Saskatoon. "The results of the Sport Tourism Economic Assessment Model drives home the true value of Events to the host community, both in total economic activity and more importantly, in terms of GDP. The 2004 Brier was a great event and has paved the way for even more events in the near future."

Dave Parkes, CEO of the Canadian Curling Association, stated: "The Canadian Curling Association (CCA) works very hard at providing a quality experience for competitors and fans alike with the staging of its events. The economic assessment carried out in cooperation with the CSTA confirms that the quality extends beyond the event and into the community with a significant financial legacy that dramatically impacts local and regional business as well as all levels of government; municipal, provincial and federal."

"Sport tourism is a terrific grassroots economic development initiative and one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry", said Rick Traer, CEO of the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance. "While hosting events such as the Brier can have a significant and positive impact on the host community, the critical mass of activity continues to occur at the intercommunity level."

A copy of the full report is available on the website at: www.canadiansporttourism.com

About CSTA

The Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance is a tourism industry led organization that promotes sport tourism as an economic development initiative at the community level. The CSTA services over 100 members across Canada, including approximately 60 municipalities, 25 national sport organizations and variety of other national and provincial sport and tourism industry partners. The CSTA has developed a number of leading edge industry tools, including the Sport Tourism Economic Assessment Model (STEAM), the world's first web-based economic impact assessment model specifically designed to predict and measure the economic impact of a sport event on a community.

About Techneos Systems Inc.

Based in Vancouver, Canada, Techneos Systems Inc. is a leading provider of software-driven mobile data collection solutions with over 100 customers in 15 countries. Originally founded to provide technology-based solutions for the market research industry, the company's technology has since been adopted by market leaders in the hospitality and tourism, transportation, health care and education sectors. For more information, visit www.techneos.com