Chilliwack – Since the WHL first floated the idea of a possible expansion franchise in Chilliwack, the ghost of the long gone Bruins hovers.
Who would be the investors? Would the past bad PR of the Bruins leaving for Victoria in 2011 haunt any negotiations.
Recent comments by Mayor Ken Popove on local radio indicated that the “dub” ghosted the City. MRG, who was in the mix claims no such thing.
On May 20, the City and co-signed by Mayor and council released this statement. They’re still interested:
“The City of Chilliwack has received media inquiries regarding the management and operation of the Chilliwack Coliseum and would like to publicly state that Council remains committed to bringing WHL hockey to Chilliwack.
“In 2002, the City of Chilliwack entered into a Public-Private Partnership (P3) agreement with the Chiefs Development Group (CDG) for the financing, design, building and operation of what is now known as the Chilliwack Coliseum. This enabled the City to provide residents with a state-of-the-art arena at a lower cost. In line with that agreement, ownership of the Chilliwack Coliseum reverted back to the City of Chilliwack in May 2025. The City then worked with the CDG and tenants on a transition plan for the facility’s management and operation, which the City took over on May 1, 2026.
“In 2025, during the WHL announcement, the City of Chilliwack announced it would take ownership and assume management and operation of the Chilliwack Coliseum. The terms reached between the WHL and City assumed the City’s ownership, management, and operation of the facility, with a tenancy agreement for a WHL team.
“In 2025, The MRG Group approached the City about managing and operating the Coliseum. Despite extensive negotiations, the two parties were unable to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. Although The MRG Group may feel that its vision for the Coliseum was in the best interests of Chilliwack’s residents, Council disagrees. The City has a responsibility to evaluate the proposed operating structure of the Coliseum based on financial stability, minimizing financial impact on taxpayers, operational accountability, governance, community access, and stewardship of taxpayer assets associated with a municipally-owned facility. The City ended negotiations for the management and operation of the Coliseum with The MRG Group in February and informed the WHL of the decision.
“The City is focused on ensuring a sustainable, long-term partnership model of team residency aligned with the term sheet previously agreed upon by the WHL and the City and on protecting the interests of the broader community and taxpayers. The City was upfront with residents and the WHL about its desire to manage and operate the Coliseum. That has not changed.
“In closing, the City remains excited about the future of the Chilliwack Coliseum and is committed to constructive, respectful relationships with the WHL and prospective ownership groups as efforts continue to bring a WHL hockey team to Chilliwack.”
– Mayor Popove and Councillors Chris Kloot, Jason Lum, Bud Mercer, Nicole Read, Jeff Shields, and Harv Westeringh
