‘Who’s who in curling’ to be in Liverpool for Canadian mixed doubles trials

Greg Thorbourne is the chairman of the Liverpool Championship Host Society, which is organizing the 2025 Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

Some of Canada’s top curlers will be ringing in the new year in Liverpool as they compete to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Local organizers are putting the final touches on the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials. It will be held at Queens Place Emera Centre from Dec. 30 to Jan. 4.

It’s the first of three major qualifying events in Nova Scotia for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Wolfville is hosting the full-team Canadian pre-trials in October 2025, and Halifax will host the Canadian curling trials in November 2025.

Canada won the first-ever mixed doubles curling Olympic gold medal in the sport’s debut at the 2018 games in South Korea.

Greg Thorbourne is the chairman of the Liverpool Championship Host Society. He says the 16 teams all have their plane tickets and hotel rooms booked, and they start arriving just after Christmas.

“There’s Olympic champions and there’s world champions coming,” Thorbourne told QCCR.

“The who’s who in curling will be here. Jennifer Jones, (Brent) Laing, Lisa Weagle, (Rachel) Homan. It boggles my mind to see this caliber coming to small-town Nova Scotia.”

In addition to Olympic gold medallist Jones, some of the other big-name Canadian curlers coming to Liverpool are reigning world curling champion Rachel Homan, former Canadian champ Brendan Bottcher, and a host of other Canadian, world and Olympic medallists.

“All the names that are on these big teams that play in the events, they’re all gonna be here. It’s super to see. Mixed doubles is probably the fastest curling game on ice.” 

Thorbourne said he expects the event to be a big boon to the local economy.

“This is worth probably over $1 million to the economy of Liverpool and area. You have 16 teams staying plus their coaches, every staff member from Curling Canada will be here and high-performance coaches and everybody else that I’ve talked to through Curling Canada in the last couple of weeks is going to be here in Liverpool. So the place will be humping with outside people between Christmas and New Year’s, a big boost to the economy.”

Four sheets of curling ice will be installed at Queens Place, with professional ice makers arriving on Dec. 22 and working through till the 27th. 

Practices begin on Dec. 28, with the opening ceremonies scheduled for Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.

Thorbourne says the practices and opening ceremony are all free. And that will be the best time to meet the players.

“Watch the teams practice, meet the teams, they’ll be floating around the facility those two days.

“And afterwards, the players will be hanging out, so if you want autographs or pictures with these players, most of them are very accommodating. They love to talk to people.”

Mixed doubles curling is a quicker game than traditional curling, usually taking less than an hour. Each team throws five stones per end. The scoring is the same as in traditional curling, but there are a few other differences which add to its appeal.

“(Fans) can’t see better curling anywhere, and it’s going to be live and you’re gonna be able to meet the players. Queens Place has good seating and there’s not a bad seat in the place.”

About 14 government and private sponsors are helping cover the costs of the $255,000 event, including Mersey Seafoods, ACOA, Province of Nova Scotia, Region of Queens, Best Western Plus, Source Atlantic/Len’s Plumbing & Heating, Belliveau/Veinotte, Liverpool Lions Club, Tim Hortons Liverpool, Sobeys, Culligan, Dixie Lee, Arby’s, and Home Hardware.

Organizers have also recruited more than 100 volunteers from the community.

Thorbourne says the host society is also selling tickets on a heat pump with installation. People can contact the organizers through the Liverpool Championship Host Society Facebook page to buy tickets.

Tickets for the event are available at Queens Place Emera Centre or through Ticketpro. The action will be livestreamed on the Curling Canada website. 

Here’s a full list of teams competing in Liverpool:

  • Kadriana Lott/Colton Lott (Gimli, Man.) – 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship gold medallists
  • Laura Walker/Kirk Muyres (Edmonton/Humboldt, Sask.) – 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship silver medallists
  • Jocelyn Peterman/Brett Gallant (Chestermere, Alta.) – 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship bronze medallists
  • Nancy Martin/Steve Laycock (Wakaw, Sask./Saskatoon) 
  • Jennifer Jones/Brent Laing (Barrie, Ont.) 
  • Brittany Tran/Rylan Kleiter (Calgary/Saskatoon) 
  • Rachel Homan/Brendan Bottcher (Beaumont, Alta./Spruce Grove, Alta.) 
  • Jennifer Armstrong/Tyrel Griffith (Rothesay, N.B./Kelowna, B.C.) 
  • Riley Sandham/Brendan Craig (Guelph, Ont.)
  • Lisa Weagle/John Epping (Ottawa/Toronto) 
  • Taylor Reese-Hansen/Corey Chester (Kitimat, B.C./Victoria) 
  • Anne-Sophie Gionest/Robert Desjardins (Alma, Que./Saguenay, Que.) 
  • Melissa Adams/Alex Robichaud (Fredericton, N.B.)
  • Jessica Zheng/Victor Pietrangelo (Niagara Falls, Ont.) 
  • Paige Papley/Evan Van Amsterdam (Edmonton)
  • Jaelyn Cotter/Jim Cotter (Vernon, B.C.) 

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Mixed doubles curling Olympic trials could be hammered by Liverpool water issues

Organizers say Liverpool water conservation measures could add unexpected costs to the Canadian mixed doubles curling trials Dec. 30 to Jan. 4 at Queens Place Emera Centre. (Pixabay)

Water conservation measures in Liverpool may affect the Canadian mixed doubles curling trials being held in the area at the end of the year.

Event organizers may be on the hook for unexpected costs to replace the water they use during the event, which runs from Dec. 30 to Jan. 4 at Queens Place Emera Centre

The Region of Queens has been asking municipal water users to cut their consumption in half. Because of a lack of fall rainfall, water levels in the Town Lake Reservoir are uncharacteristically low.

RELATED: Buy tickets online through Ticketpro

Greg Thorbourne, chairman of the Liverpool Championship Host Society, said this week that if the area doesn’t get substantial amounts of rain soon, the group may have to truck in water to replace what they’ll use during the event.

“Everybody’s being asked to use 50 per cent less and they expect us to use 50 per cent less and/or replace the water we use. So we’re trying to implement plans now to make that happen.

“That’s going to be a big cost if we have to go that route. We’re doing everything we can, praying for rain, fingers crossed and toes crossed that it doesn’t happen. But if it does, we have to be ready for it and buy water from somewhere.”

The area got about 45 millimetres of rain on Thursday, according to Environment Canada. It’s unclear if that’s enough to help. Nobody from the region was available for an interview this week.

Even though the trials are being held at the municipally owned Queens Place, Thorbourne said the host society may have to truck in water from an approved source to replenish the reservoir.

Seven teams have qualified already for the event. Up to 16 teams are expected to compete in Liverpool for the chance to represent Canada in mixed doubles curling at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

It appeared earlier in the week that the event may have received an unexpected financial boost.

The J&W Murphy Foundation donated almost $149,927 to the Region of Queens. The foundation suggested the money be used to enhance curling infrastructure, programs and services in Liverpool.

In June, Mersey Seafoods also announced its sponsorship of the event.

Mersey Seafoods is owned by the Murphy family. But it is a separate entity from the foundation.

At their meeting on Monday, councillors voted to give $112,427 to the Liverpool Curling Club and $37,500 to the host society. 

Thorbourne said the funding from the foundation via the region was money they had expected. 

The foundation’s Lisa Murphy told QCCR that it can donate only to registered charities and other qualified organizations. The region is one of them.

“So we expressed a preference and that’s all we did and then after that, we step back,” she said. “As the donor, we can’t insist on it and we can’t get a refund if they don’t do it. The separation has to be there. It has to be entirely in the control of the region.”

There was some confusion at the council meeting on Monday about the Murphy Foundation donation.

Coun. Courtney Wentzell asked whether it was the foundation’s wish that the money go to both groups.

“So it’s not a coincidence that it’s the exact same money to a tee that Murphys gave us and the curling club wants,” he said.

CAO Cody Joudry said it’s up to the region to decide how the money is spent.

“I don’t think there’s any reason to hold onto any of it,” Joudry said.

Thorbourne said any donations are appreciated as the event draws closer.

“We’re just looking for support where we can get it,” he said.

“It’s a major event when you stop and think that the winner from here goes directly to the Olympics. For a small community like Liverpool, just to be involved in something of this magnitude, the community should be proud of putting it on.

“Anything you can do to help us out business-wise, if you can’t afford to put up dollars and cents, maybe they can donate some food for the volunteers. There’s all kinds of different ways you can help.”

About 100 volunteers have already signed up to help. Thorbourne said that if businesses or individuals want to contribute, they can contact him, Lorna MacPherson, Melissa Robinson, Ralph Gidney or Kim Whalen. They can also get in touch through the organizers’ Facebook page.

Full event packages and single tickets are available from Queens Place Emera Centre or through Ticketpro.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Mersey Seafoods opens Scallop Shack in Liverpool

Star Donovan, manager of special events for Mersey Seafoods, stands in front of the company’s Scallop Shack, which opened Monday at their location on Bristol Avenue. (Rick Conrad)

Residents and visitors to Liverpool can now buy Mersey Seafoods’ world-famous scallops right from the factory on Bristol Avenue.

The company opened the Scallop Shack in a tiny guardhouse in its parking lot on Monday morning. 

Star Donovan is Mersey Seafoods’ manager of special events. She said Monday that response so far is good.

“It’s been busy since we put the sign out considering no one even knew we were going to do this. We just put the sign out by the road this morning, and it’s been flat out busy.”

Since the company opened its new building in 2019, many residents were hoping they would also open a retail facility.

Donovan said that until now, they couldn’t do that.

“Since Covid, we have had our doors locked. Prior to that, we used to sell five pounds of scallops to the community when they wanted them. The president of our company has chatted about being able to offer scallops again to the community so we decided we’d go with the Scallop Shack.”

The Scallop Shack will be open year-round, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will be selling two different sizes of scallops – 10 to 20 scallops per pound or 20 to 30 scallops per pound.

You can buy them in a one-kilogram or a five-pound bag. Prices range from $37.40 for a kilogram of smaller scallops to $90 for five pounds of larger scallops.

Donovan said that with tourist season underway, it’s a good time for the new venture, especially since it’s difficult to find local seafood in Liverpool.

“I think it’s great, but I kind of figured it would be. We have calls every week from people, ‘Can we buy them, can we buy them?’ I know the community are happy about this and excited, and so am I.”

Mersey Seafoods is also celebrating its 60th year in business this year. And to help celebrate, the company will be putting a float in the Privateer Days parade for the first time, Donovan said.

“The girls in production decided they were going to put a float in the parade this year and so we’re all excited about that, having the Scallop Shack open. You never know what’s to come. We’ll see.”

Scallops sold by Mersey Seafoods are sustainably harvested from the Atlantic Ocean and freshly frozen at sea. 

The company also sells coldwater shrimp and redfish or ocean perch. But Donovan says they will be selling only scallops at the Scallop Shack.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Organizers kick off volunteer drive for mixed doubles curling trials in Liverpool

Mike Murphy of Mersey Seafoods announces the company’s sponsorship of the Canadian mixed doubles curling trials, beginning Dec. 30 at Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

As one of the people bringing the Canadian mixed doubles curling trials to Liverpool in December, you’d expect Greg Thorbourne to love the sport.

“I used to hate mixed doubles,” he told a crowd on Monday at the Liverpool Curling Club.

“I thought, ‘Who the hell would ever play that game?’”

But after working at the last two national mixed doubles curling events, the longtime booster of curling in Queens County was quickly converted.

“Watching the calibre of curling, the shots made, the number of rocks in play, I don’t think there’s a better game in this world than mixed doubles.”

Thorbourne, chairman of the Liverpool Championship Host Society, was speaking at an event at the curling club Monday to kick off the volunteer recruitment effort for the mixed doubles curling trials planned for Dec. 30 to Jan. 4 at Queens Place Emera Centre.

The host society has been working on securing the trials since last June.

It’s the first of three major qualifying events in Nova Scotia for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Wolfville is hosting the full-team Canadian pre-trials in October 2025, and Halifax will host the Canadian curling trials in November 2025.

Sixteen teams will compete in Liverpool for the chance to represent Canada in mixed doubles curling in Italy.

Queens MLA Kim Masland speaks at an event at the Liverpool Curling Club on Monday to kick off volunteer recruitment for the Canadian mixed doubles curling trials in December in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

About 50 people turned out for the event in Liverpool on Monday, including Queens MLA and Public Works Minister Kim Masland, Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman and Liverpool native Jill Brothers, who skipped Canada to a silver medal at the 2004 world junior championships.

Thorbourne said he’d like to have about 150 volunteers for the event. Liverpool hosted the 2021 pre-trial curling trials, where the volunteer numbers were lower because of Covid.

“Normally, we have between 135 and 150. With Covid the last time, we were down around 85 so this time we’re looking at getting back up so that people don’t have to spend as many hours on site as they did the last time.”

He said they’re already getting calls from across Canada from people who want to volunteer.

“Last week, I got two calls from B.C., three from Ontario, a couple from up North, a few from Alberta, the Prairies. This is the first of three Olympic trial events in Nova Scotia. So a lot of these people will come here and get trained, work here and move forward.”

Mike Murphy, chief financial and chief operating officer of Mersey Seafoods, also announced the Liverpool company’s sponsorship of the $255,000 event.

“We want to be part of the community and we want to give back to the community when we can,” he said in an interview. “And we think events like this are really good to showcase Liverpool, the South Shore, Queens County. It puts us on the world stage. People show up from all over Nova Scotia, Canada, all over the world and we think it’s great to showcase our community.”

The value of the sponsorship was not disclosed, but Thorbourne said later that it is “substantial”. The Region of Queens has also committed $19,140 to the event. Thorbourne said they are working on other sponsorships too.

Many people at Monday’s kickoff were signing up to volunteer. Valerie Lantz of Liverpool was one of them.

This will be her third curling event in Liverpool. She volunteered at the 2021 pre-trials and the 2019 World Junior Curling Championships.

“I was a curler, … so that’s what brings me to this. Now that I’m retired i can spend the time doing this sort of thing and i thoroughly enjoy it.”

She said the event will bring much-needed business to the community at a slow time of year.

“This will put people in rooms in hotels and in restaurants. And mixed curling, it’s such a high-energy fast sport, I think it will create new patrons to the event.”

Lantz said that volunteering at the curling trials in December will be worth your time.

“You’ll meet people not only from Liverpool volunteering but people from probably around the province. It’s just so much fun. And you get to see some great curling.”

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Donation pays for Liverpool fire truck

LFD new ladder truck beside their rescue boat. Photo John Long

The Liverpool fire department now owns their ladder truck free and clear thanks to a donation by Mersey Seafoods and the J and W Murphy Foundation.

Volunteers at the station were surprised when opening mail this week to discover a cheque for $50,000 to go towards the purchase of another truck.

The department determined before Christmas they would need to replace their ladder truck.

Hydraulics that lift the ladder had failed and the department learned repairing the equipment was not only costly but there was no guarantee the repair would pass an inspection to return the engine to service.

Liverpool fire department approached the Region of Queens for help to buy a replacement. The municipality stepped up with a $46,000 interest-free loan.

Members located a ladder truck for sale in New Brunswick and took ownership it earlier this week.

Captain John Long says the department had been exploring several options to raise the money needed to buy the ladder truck.

“We had sent out some letters requesting some help,” said Long. “This came through and it’s huge. Not just the number but the impact it has on us is huge. And we can work towards replacing our boat.”

Replacing their 1994 rescue boat had been the fire department’s focus before the issues arose with the ladder truck.

Long says the boat is showing its age.

“The ring is not holding air. We can use it in an emergency but we can’t really do any training with it,” said Long.

The new boat will need to be outfitted for rescue operations. A T-top, rear bench, console, steering wheel and search lights will need to be fitted to the boat. A new modern, sonar system will be installed and other safety equipment will be updated as well.

All told, Long says they need to raise $56,000 to turn out the new boat.

He says any money donated by individuals and businesses in the community towards replacing the ladder truck will be applied to the purchase of the boat.

Longs says thanks to the generous donation from Mersey Seafoods and the J and W Murphy Foundation the loan to the municipality has been repaid in full and the rest will go into the boat fund.

Information on how to donate to the Liverpool Fire Department is on their website: Liverpoolfirefighters.com.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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