'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
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.