'Yes, absolutely': President of Winnipeg Blue Bombers expecting fans at IG Field this season
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are hoping people continue receiving their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine so that they can come cheer on the team when the season kicks off in August.
“As we get out of this third wave, we look to getting people back to see football and soccer at IG Field,” said Wade Miller, the president and CEO of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
When asked if fans will be in stands when the season begins in August, Miller was definitive.
“Yes, absolutely,” he said.
According to the provincial government, large-scale, outdoor professional sports or performing arts events may allow fully immunized Manitobans to attend, subject to approval by Manitoba Public Health. The province would work with sports organizations to implement proof of vaccination protocols for the events, but nothing has been announced yet.
Miller said planning is underway for what the game-day experience will look like, which will be announced in July.
“We’ll have additional ticketing ushers at the gates to help with ensuring everyone has their immunization cards, and we’re able to check those,” he said, adding additional staff and additional protocols will likely be added as plans are finalized.
Alberta is preparing to lift the majority of its COVID-19 restrictions on Canada Day, when 70 per cent of its population has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. It would allow fans to attend CFL games in Calgary and Edmonton. Saskatchewan will be lifting its restrictions on large gatherings on July 11.
“We see what Alberta and Saskatchewan have done, where they’ve said there won’t be any restrictions come August for their stadiums, and we look forward to getting to that point as well and having that, especially when our fans will be fully vaccinated,” he said.
Miller encouraged Manitobans to get vaccinated if they haven’t done so yet.
The Blue Bombers begin the 2021 season with a Grey Cup rematch against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on August 5.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.