PORT HARDY — To celebrate Port Hardy's third-place finish in WFN's Ultimate Fishing Town Contest, The Port 1240 and Port Hardy Chamber of Commerce teamed up Sunday to host a party at Rotary Park.
The 24-hour fishing network held an online voting contest over the past month to recognize the country's top fishing town, and Port Hardy drew 37,997 votes in the finals portion of voting to earn a $2,500 prize toward fishing-related improvements.
The contest was won by Chapleau, Ontario, which won $25,000 and a feature on WFN in the coming season.
In Port Hardy, dozens of people turned out in pleasant weather to take part in the free cookout and prize draws to recognize the town's top-3 finish. Local businesses donated the food and prizes.
The main prize, a Ryan Kesler Canucks jersey, was won by Port Hardy 11-year-old Jaylon Grenier.
Port Hardy was nominated for Ultimate Fishing Town Canada by resident Michel Therrien. As voting commenced, many people and groups lobbied for votes, from the Chamber of Commerce to the tourism class at Port Hardy Secondary School, which held a rally complete with a march and waving signs.