Fort St. John businesses enjoy economic boost amid Blue Jays’ magical run

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Canada’s sole Major League Baseball (MLB) team may be a win away from the World Series, but their magical run has captivated the country – even in the Peace region, there’s been an economic impact.

The Toronto Blue Jays have the opportunity to wrap up their first MLB championship in 32 years on Halloween, October 31st, with a victory over the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Leading the best-of-seven series three games to two, a win on Friday would see the MLB championship banner raised to the roof of the Rogers Centre for the first time since 1993.

Bars and restaurants around the country have seen an uptick in business with the Jays’ success, with a story on Global News saying the playoff run came at a particularly rough time for the city’s economy.

In Fort St. John, both “fans and non-fans” have seen local restaurants see huge traffic, according to Canadian Brewhouse general manager Ken Dobb.

Dobb said while he wasn’t old enough to witness the last title, he said his father was in a pub in Ladner when the 1993 team beat the Philadelphia Phillies on Joe Carter’s dramatic walk-off home run.

A chain restaurant, all locations have featured promotions such as hot dog dishes named after Blue Jays stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer.

“Even when they were playing the [Seattle] Mariners leading into the World Series, we saw a lot of non-baseball fans, or people who never really talked about baseball, commit to coming in,” said Dobb. “What we have seen [business-wise] is astronomical.

“Looking at what last year’s sales were around this time versus what this year’s sales, pretty much every time the Blue Jays are playing it’s a 150-190 per cent of sales over last year. [It’s a] huge impact.”

Chances Casino, which opened its Sportsbook Lounge last month, has seen increased foot traffic as well, says general manager Leanne Johnson.

A raffle for Blue Jays gear will be held at the conclusion of the World Series at the venue.

Johnson says the advent of social media, and the move of the former Montréal Expos to Washington, D.C. has really elevated camaraderie around Canada for a club which is 3,949 kilometres away from Fort St. John.

“It has been great to see that sense of camaraderie around our community,” Johnson said. “When you wear your colours out on the street, people are honking their horns and saying, ‘go Blue Jays go’. [They are] having those really great conversations that I haven’t really seen for baseball since the 1990s.

“It doesn’t hurt that we have a 24-foot wide, 4k-LED display screen as well to play the Blue Jays, [which] has certainly netted us some positive results.”

Local theatre and concert venue the Lido Theatre has also shown some post-season games in the World Series, beginning with the 18-inning marathon this week which had the Blue Jays on the losing end.

New owner Skyler Rowsell told Energeticcity.ca he hasn’t seen “high numbers” coming in, but being new to sports fandom, he’s seen the passion for the team that rivals any concert crowd.

The Lido will host a free, 19+ event showcasing Friday’s game six before its Nightmare on 100th concert starting at 9 p.m.

“[We were] a little light on numbers,” said Rowsell. “But the people we had were very passionate. I mean, they stuck right through the whole thing. [Events like this] make it worthwhile when you see people get excited about these games.”

Game six of the World Series goes tonight between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, with first pitch at 5:00 p.m. Fort St. John time.