A Sooke cat show may be on its last life this week.
The cat show that has welcomed international felines and judges to Sooke Community Hall since 2022 is unlikely to return next year.
The Cat Fanciers of B.C. relocated the event from Sidney in 2022, but rising rental costs at the hall have cast doubt on its future, to the surprise of Graham Marshall, a member of the organization and one of the show’s organizers.
“We’ve paid $475 for the venue for the last four years, and this year it was going to go over $2,500 for the exact same space and the exact same rental,” said Marshall.
“Basically, you pay 500 per cent more for the hall we rented last year. We’re a small organization – we just can’t absorb a cost like that.”
The Sooke Community Association (SCA) changed the hall’s rental rates in January, following a switch to an online booking platform.
“We were made to realize this year that our rates were extremely low for the type of facility we were renting out,” said Dave Bertoia, a director of the SCA. He said the rate change was triggered by a client pointing out that their prices were “way too cheap.”
“The hall is 90 years old this year, I think, and there’s a lot of expense involved just to keep it afloat.”
The Sooke Community Hall also houses the Sooke Food Bank, a Meals on Wheels program, a centre that rents medical equipment to seniors, and many community events.
Bertoia said the rate increases were necessary due to ongoing maintenance, including a new roof, and future upgrades such as the addition of new washroom facilities. He added that the new rates are in line with similar venues in the region, and may still be cheaper.
He said seeing the cat show struggle was never his intention.
“Graham – I know he’s lived in Sooke for 20 years – and I think that’s great that, as someone who’s guiding that show, he’s seen value in bringing it to Sooke and bringing some business out here.”
However, Marshall said he felt blindsided by the increase, unaware of the rate changes when he called to confirm his booking in early May. He believed a verbal agreement would be honoured. After four years of doing business with the SCA, he said he took the new rate “personally.”
Though the two parties came to a compromise on a reduced rate, allowing the show to proceed this year, it will still cost double what Marshall initially expected.
“We have no choice but to pay it, because we’re committed to it and we have people flying in from all over the world.”
While this year’s Cat Show will proceed at Sooke Community Hall, Marshall doubts it will return.
“Getting people to Sooke is difficult, finding accommodations in Sooke is difficult – so those factors are limiting for our show. Then, when you combine that with a 500 per cent increase, we don’t need the accountants to do the math to realize we’re going to lose our shirt,” said Marshall.
He said the situation is especially frustrating because he’d like to keep the show in Sooke. While a hotel in town has offered a potential venue, he’s worried it will remain out of budget.
Marshall acknowledged the SCA does good work, but said he was disappointed by the lack of communication and what he called “an expectation that we would pay 500 per cent more.”
“You can’t stress enough how important the community association is for recreation in town, but this just seems like a pretty big diversion from a community organization,” said Marshall.
“I have some explaining to do to a lot of people who deserve to know why they’re not coming back next year. It’s not that we don’t like them. It’s not that we don’t think it’s a good show. It’s just because of what happened.”
Bertoia said the SCA will honour bookings made before the rate change, but the new pricing is here to stay. He added that the decision to increase the rates was not made lightly.
“As an association, we put a lot of thought into what we were doing and why we were doing it,” he said, adding that he hasn’t had pushback from other clients.
“In light of all of this, the hall has never been as busy. I can honestly attest to that, as far as bookings go – and we’re getting requests from outside the community.”
The Cat Fanciers of B.C. will host their annual cat show – this year titled May Flowers – from May 10 to 11, possibly for the last time. For more information, visit https://cfofbc.org/visitor/.
