The co-chair of the Coal Bowl basketball tournament says they’re dealing with the loss of funding from ECBC, this year. Jacqueline Poirier says they lost that source of revenue in the wake of the demise of Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation, last year. Meanwhile, Sydney-Victoria Liberal MP Mark Eyking says several groups on the Island are in the same boat after the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency took over from ECBC. Eyking adds ACOA doesn’t offer the same programs that ECBC did. Poirier says they’ve been creative in their continuing search for new sponsors to make up for the loss of ECBC money. She estimates costs for the annual event range between 60 and 70 thousand dollars. This year’s Coal Boal takes place at Breton Education Centre from February 2nd to 7th.
