The Osoyoos Coyotes has been with the Town of Osoyoos for ten years.

The team is owned and operated by Randy Bedard. The current agreement has expired and staff has negotiated a one year agreement with the Coyotes. The Coyotes would normally have a 48 – 52 game schedule for the regular season and half of those games (home games) would be played at the Sun Bowl Arena.

They would also have exhibition and playoff games.

This year with the pandemic, it was a tough start to the season. The Coyotes were unsure if they could put a team together. With no fans and a shortened season it will be a difficult year financially. The current agreement has the Coyotes paying a fee for the games and as part of that fee, it includes up to 1.5 hours of practice, five times a week. Any ice beyond this limit is charged to the team as per the fees and charges bylaw 1180.

The most recent fee that was paid by the team prior to the expiration of the agreement was $431.43 per game. The Coyotes owner has agreed to pay $500 per game for this one year agreement. This reflects an increase of approximately 18%. The Coyotes owner did not feel comfortable signing a lease for longer than one year due to the pandemic and the unknown for future years.

The Coyotes schedule for 2020-2021 is shortened to 30 games half of which are home games. The Coyotes will pay a minimum of $7,500 for this season, based on the home game schedule. If they make the playoffs this fee will increase. If Council approves the intent to lease, ads will be placed in two consecutive newspapers and at public notice posting places. After the ads are published, staff will bring a report to the following meeting of Council for approval.

Source: Staff report to Monday’s Regular Town of Osoyoos Council meeting