2005 Bell Capital Cup Scores $11.1 million in Economic Activity

Ottawa, ON. March 23, 2005 - The economic impact assessment of the 2005 Bell Capital Cup, the world's premier atom and minor peewee hockey tournament held in Ottawa from December 29, 2004 – January 2, 2005, was released today by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance.

The event generated a total estimated economic activity of $11.1 million in the province including $7.7 million in the City of Ottawa. These totals resulted from $4.9 million in combined operations, capital and visitors spending. The event contributed over $4.9 million to the provincial GDP. A total of $3.23 million in wages and salaries were paid in the province, supporting 162 jobs. In the City of Ottawa, wages totaled approximately $2.5 million and represented 130 jobs. The total level of taxes received by all levels of governments as a result of the event was estimated to be more than $2.2 million, distributed as follows:

• $909,000 accrued to the federal
• $876,000 to the Province of Ontario
• $365,000 to municipal governments, including $316,000 to the City of Ottawa.

Of the 407 teams registered, the tournament attracted a total of 269 teams from out of town for a total of 4,176 athletes. Survey data suggest that an average of 2.96 spectators accompanied each athlete, or 12,962 spectators, for a total of 16,566 visitors.

The Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance conducted the study in partnership with the Canadian Tourism Commission, the City of Ottawa, the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Sport Alliance of Ontario. 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 690 on-site surveys were conducted and collated at the event, giving the survey results a confidence level of +/- 1.9%, 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.

Co-founders of the Bell Capital Cup event and Co-Chairs of TEAM Ottawa-Gatineau, Ottawa Mayor Bob Chiarelli and Senators COO, Cyril Leeder are delighted with the impact results.

"This 'home-grown' event is now in its sixth successful year", says Chiarelli. "It has generated excitement and economic activity during what used to be a quiet time of year in the Capital". "It's a great example of the kind of home-grown initiative that TEAM Ottawa-Gatineau wants to encourage and get behind", said Chiarelli.

The results achieved from the impact assessment assist in quantifying the tremendous efforts of our city’s volunteers and staff that have helped to make the Bell Capital Cup a huge success,” stated Leeder. “We hope to utilize this success as a model for which other TEAM Ottawa-Gatineau events and initiatives can follow."

Doug Rosser, President of SAO, stated: “Sport: a winner in life, a winner in business. The results of the Economic Impact Assessment for the 2005 Bell Canada Cup makes it very clear, hosting a major sporting event generates positive economic activity for the entire community.

A copy of the full report is available on the website at: http://www.canadiansporttourism.com/eng_cat.cfm?CatID=5

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