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Hamilton to see record-breaking economic impact from Grey Cup events

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The City of Hamilton says it stands to break economic numbers for this year’s Grey Cup festival that saw excellent attendance and great weather.

While the festivities have come to an end, tourists remain in the city spending money.

Maxim and his friends came from Montreal for the Grey Cup final in Hamilton, and returned to Tim Hortons Field on Monday afternoon to shop for souvenirs.

“It was amazing. First, the game was so nice. Second, the people here in Hamilton, everyone was nice and friendly with us. We were friends and the Alouettes won so it was an amazing time here,” said Maxim Trudeau, a visitor from Montreal.

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“The people here are great. I can’t say anything bad. They received us very well. We had our colours from Montreal, and people were rooting for us so we were very happy, it was a great time. Everybody is so gentle here,” said Sebastian Rousseau, another visitor from Montreal.

Fans not only purchased memorabilia, they also spent money on hotels, restaurants, groceries, entertainment, transportation and more.

Ryan McHugh, Hamilton’s manager of tourism and events, says the 109th Grey Cup in Regina last year brought in $68 million.

“It would be safe to say that Hamilton and the region would have surpassed that $68 million. Not the final numbers but I can say anecdotally speaking with the hotels, we were sold out across the city. At restaurants we saw a great uptick.”

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It’s not just Hamilton that benefits – the entire country does.

When Hamilton hosted the 108th Grey Cup in 2021, Sports Tourism Canada said it contributed $21 million to the country’s gross domestic product and brought in just under $7.1 million in federal, provincial and local taxes.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a statement Monday about the Grey Cup, congratulating the Montreal Alouettes and supporting the decision made to have the Grey Cup game in Hamilton.

“This year’s Grey Cup was hosted in Hamilton, Ontario, the home of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Hamilton has a long history with the Grey Cup and Canadian football, having hosted 11 Grey Cup games since 1909. It couldn’t be more appropriate that Hamilton was selected as this year’s host of the championship game and close out the 65th official season of the Canadian Football League (CFL).”

Next year’s Grey Cup final is expected to take place in British Columbia.