As I continue watch the Toronto stock market take the kinds of dips and dives that makes my own stomach twist and shout, I have to sometimes wonder if there really is a recession on the go in Ontario.

And then I thank the Almighty there are actually people spending money ALMOST fearlessly.

Such was the case recently when I sat down with City of Orillia Parks and Recreation Department Marketing Director Paul Barnetson over a cup of coffee.

Paul and I meet regularly to discuss and inform the public on all things recreational.

The discussion on this day turned to a 50-team hockey tournament set to hit Orillia from Nov. 7-9.

For nearly two decades the Jim Wilson Chevrolet Invitational Tournament has been bringing teams to the city for a weekend celebration of Canada’s most cherished sport.

At this point, I offer an apology to all you curlers out there.

The point is hockey tournaments continue to be big business in Ontario and there are no signs of it slowing down any time soon.

Along with lacrosse, soccer and baseball tournaments, they provide another valuable way for local businesses to snap up a little extra cash from visitors.

With gas now floating around the $1-a-litre mark, it seemed like eons ago when we were paying $1.35 and more a litre during the summertime.

Yet, even Barnetson was amazed that the price of gas had no major impact on the number of teams entering bat and ball tournaments from May to September.

Now I’m not suggesting for a moment that families are spending money recklessly on sports, at a time when we all wonder if we will still have jobs the day after tomorrow.

Yet their wish is that their children get a sense of what it is like to be involved in sports and discover life outside of the family and school environment.

Many families view tournaments as their own mini vacations.

Instead of packing off to Florida for a week or some warmer climate in winter, or camping in summer, they visit towns and cities and enjoy what the locals have to offer in way of sports, entertainment and attractions.

They do it as families, who enjoy sports, relish their time together and the company of other parents on the teams.

Of the 50 teams set to battle for championship honours in November, 45 will be from out of town and maybe 40 of those will stay in hotels over the weekend.

At about 30 or so players, coaches and parents/relatives per team, that works out to roughly 1,200 people in town over the weekend for hockey alone.

The entry fee for each team is $800 per team and that is money turned back into the community.

Besides paying for ice time, that money will go toward paying for trophies from a local supplier and also pay fees to referees working the tournament games.

Most of that money will stay in and around Orillia long after the teams hit the gas pedal and roll out of town.

While it may seem high, Barnetson notes the $800 figure is by no means the highest for a tournament in Ontario now and nowhere near the lowest.

While the ‘Wilson’ tournament has reached 50 teams once before, it was only possible this year because additional ice time was available at the Rama MASK.

As it has been noted before by people much higher up the evolutionary food chain than me, Orillia has reached its maximum in terms of the amount of ice time it can offer those who want it.

That makes the construction of a new recreation complex in Orillia an even more urgent issue.

People have looked at the proposed $63-million price tag as a drain on the city finances, but I think of it as a solid investment in the future.

In other words, spending money to make money, while also providing local residents with a recreation facility we can all be proud of and market to the rest of the province and Canada.

The city of Brandon, Manitoba has a population of just over 40,000 people and it has hosted a number of world-class hockey, curling and figure skating events.

I’ve visited Brandon several times and, frankly, it’s not a community I’d brag about to others, unless maybe I were born there.

As the old joke goes, “It’s not quite the end of the world, but you get a darn good view from there”.

Still, they manage to bring the elite of the sporting world to their doorstep.

Orillia could be the same way if it plays its cards right.