News

The man at the centre of many of the controversies in Canadian curling in recent years has told his staff and board of directors that he's leaving his position as chief executive officer of the Canadian Curling Association.

But he's not going quickly.

Dave Parkes informed the association's board of directors and co-workers that he will retire at the end of 2007. He is reported to have come to an agreement with the board during meetings on Oct. 27 and made his announcement to the staff in the Ottawa office Oct. 31.

Contacted yesterday, Parkes would only say that an announcement would be made soon.

"There's nothing public about this," he said, admitting he was aware rumours were circulating in the curling community.

Reached at her home in St. John's, CCA president Donna Duffet also refused to comment.

Parkes, 54, has had an up-and-down tenure at the helm of the CCA since taking over in 1988. In 1994 he guided the organization into a new era of televised curling with national championships staged in large arenas. Dubbed the Season of Champions, it was a huge success that gave the sport profile and financial stability.

Two years ago, however, Parkes oversaw a move ago that had preliminary games from the Brier and Scotties Tournament of Hearts moved from TSN to a CBC digital channel. That decision backfired. When fans were unable to watch the contests, they revolted, flooding the CCA with complaints. Parkes and the board elected to walk away from the contract with the CBC which resulted in the threat of legal action by the public broadcaster.

A compromise was reached to return to the former system last year, but this summer Parkes surprised many by announcing that in 2008, all curling — including the semi-finals and finals — would move to TSN.

The many television problems and accompanying legal bills have taken a toll on the CCA's financial position. Last year, the financial report showed the association lost $28,711 on revenues of more than $8-million. A year earlier, the association reported a profit of nearly $300,000.

While acknowledging the association took a hit from the television debacle, Parkes said it is still stable.

"The ship isn't sinking," he said. "I think it's positive that we were able to absorb the hit."

There have also been problems within the CCA office under Parkes's leadership. Several staff members said that morale in the national office has deteriorated recently. One employee said that there hasn't been a staff meeting for six years and there has been no clear agenda for the association as a whole for some time.

"There's no passion, no leadership at all," said the long-time employee who asked for anonymity. "I think we would be a lot more successful if there was more direction."

Many provincial associations were waiting for the official announcement of Parkes's exit but a number indicated it would be a noteworthy departure.

"It will be a significant change, no doubt," said Ian Henniger, the executive director of Curl BC, said. "Hopefully it can be made into a positive one."