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Whistler’s economic spinoff numbers released for Ironman event

Organizers say there is strong support to make Whistler ‘long-term home’
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Andrew Mitchell

Ironman Canada generated $8.4 million in local economic activity in its inaugural year in Whistler.

The event, which was held in August, resulted in $17.3 million of economic activity in B.C., including $3.2 million in provincial and federal taxes. Of that economic activity, $212,000 took place in Pemberton.

The numbers, which come from an Economic Impact Assessment paid for by the Resort Municipality of Whistler, were made public via a press release on Monday.

They come in the wake of the just-released Tough Mudder numbers ($7.5 million provincially with $4.2 million occurring in Whistler), which were initially withheld from the public by both the municipality and the event producers.

“The Resort Municipality of Whistler is very pleased to see the excellent return on investment confirmed in the economic impact assessment,” said Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden in the release. “Whistler absolutely embraced the event and the overall experience, and the results for our community are outstanding.”

The RMOW contributed $250,000 to the event from Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) funding, part of a five-year annual deal. Tourism Whistler kicked in a further $45,000.

“We are extremely happy with the results of our first event in Whistler," said World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) Operations Manager Keats McGonigal. “The athletes and staff loved the event and view the region as an extremely attractive vacation destination. There is strong support for building on the success to make this a long-term home for IRONMAN Canada.”