'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
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'