A Coquitlam businessman is turning his Vancouver Canucks hockey ticket refunds into cash for three Tri-City charities.
Bill Dick, owner of Phoenix Truck and Crane, has cashed tickets for games that weren't played during the National Hockey League lockout and is cancelling two club seats; he will donate the proceeds to Crossroads Hospice, PoCoMo Youth Services Society and Share Family and Community Services, which runs the food bank.
In all, Dick is donating about $20,000 to local charities.
The contribution is part good deed and part a statement about what's left of the NHL season for Canucks vans.
The owner of the 22-year-old company, which provides trucking and crane services and employs 25 people, said he's unhappy the abbreviated NHL schedule so far doesn't included any games from eastern hockey teams.
"They asked me the reason. The reason [that he's cancelling two club seats] is that we have now become the Western Hockey League for the rest of the season," explained Dick, who said he's disappointed he won't see his favourite team, the Boston Bruins, play in the regular season.
Hockey politics aside, Dick said he's pleased to be able to support local charities with the refunds and says he would like to other businesses to do the same.
Jerome Bouvier, executive director of the PoCoMo Youth Services Society, which provides outreach and advocate services for youth, said he appreciates the gift.
"I thought it was brilliant and I thought it was a really community conscious choice on behalf of Bill and his company. It's something that's the business community could look at," Bouvier said about the $3,800 donation, which will help run a bus of outreach workers who visit youth hot spots in the Tri-Cities on weekends and deliver support.
