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Page 45 It's our Time It's our Time BuSiNESS plaN Legacy Plan - Winnipeg Securing the 2019 World Junior Hockey Championships in Winnipeg in partnership with Saskatoon will create a meaningful, long-term legacy opportunity for Hockey Canada and the Winnipeg Jets True North Foundation (WJTNF). The portion of legacy funds committed by Hockey Canada to the Winnipeg contingent of the 2019 bid will go directly to increasing support of the WJTNF's commitment to proactively engage at-risk youth through all the benefits associated with hockey. The WJTNF currently runs the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Academy program (WJHA). A program in extremely high demand, the WJHA, through partnerships with school divisions, provides a long-term plan for close to 700 student athletes (and growing) to participate in hockey as a means of staying connected to school. The students chosen to take part in our program are youth who otherwise would not have the opportunity to play the game. The goals of the program are to create life-long hockey players while increasing graduation rates of a marginalized segment of the population. The need for funding the academy, even with WJTNF donor support, has never been greater. The cost to play the game is significant and only getting higher. Access to ice time is expensive and not easy to come by with demand considerably higher than supply in most rinks in and around Winnipeg. By hosting the 2019 World Junior Championships in Winnipeg, we would see a significant legacy created for the future growth of hockey, while providing a positive, challenging, and healthy environment for WJHA kids to flourish. Always striving to expand our impact in the community, new this upcoming season (2016-2017), the WJTNF, in partnership with the NHl, NHlpA and Hockey Canada, is starting a learn to play program in Manitoba. The program will track retention rates and give children a superior introduction to the sport. legacy funding from the 2019 World Junior Hockey tournament would enhance the program and provide more opportunities to youth who otherwise would not be able to participate. However, finding ice time for learn to play is an obstacle as slots are hard to come by and becoming more expensive to secure. With legacy funding, we would be able to purchase and refurbish an older hockey arena, dedicating it primarily to the learn to play and WJHA programs. Maximizing not only peak hours (evening and weekends), we'd partner with school divisions to have the learn to play program offered during the day. Additionally, we would be in a position to aid transportation and coordination for marginalized youth. The World Junior Championship's legacy funding would also support youth in Manitoba by providing bursaries for minor hockey registration to players who have successfully participated in the learn to play program. Team sports, like hockey, provide the immense opportunity for young people to develop important life experiences including team work, goal setting, and commitment to personal growth. They are all important opportunities in a student's development, especially for kids who face greater socioeconomic challenges. With the cost to play hockey being a barrier to participation, bursaries funded in part through legacy funding would go a long way in providing kids the chance to pursue hockey past the learn to play program and beyond.