Paradise hopes to host international hockey cup

By Mark Squibb

The Town of Paradise has submitted a bid to host the 2026 Para Hockey Cup.
Should the bid be accepted, the Town would cede exclusive use of the Rink B ice surface and dressing rooms for the duration of the event, which is scheduled for November 26 to December 6, 2026, and waive the rental fees.
The Town of Paradise hosted the event in 2019, and saw teams from Canada, the US, the Czech Republic, and Russia competing for hockey gold. At that time, council waived $15,000 in ice rental fees in exchange for hosting the event.
The Town submitted a bid to host the 2024 Cup but was not successful.
Councillor Larry Vaters, during council’s July 28 committee of the whole meeting, said a number of sport and recreation committees had reached out to the Town to see if there was interest in submitting a bid for the 2026 competition.
Council approved the motion to submit the bid during that same meeting, rather than wait until the August 5 public meeting, in the interest of time.
Bids will be reviewed in September and a final decision made in October.
Vaters noted that, should the bid be accepted, user groups will be given ample notice so they can book ice time elsewhere.