Lisa MacLeod screenshot
The province is still not in a position to sign-off on the Canadian Football League’s Return To Play plan.
Minister of Sport Lisa MacLeod says conversations with the league happen every day.
“The thresholds for a Return To Play for the CFL are quite high. We do expect that they would be able to meet them. We would expect that they would be similar to the NHL and AHL Return To Play model. They continue to work but I don’t have a timeframe.”
MacLeod suggests they should be in a better position to decide in the next couple of weeks but notes a lot must happen before then.
“The League coming to us with a proposal. My team working with them to refine it to go to the Health Command Table and then Health comes back with a number of different queries. So, the sooner we can land on it the better obviously.”
The CFL is planning a 14-game schedule starting August 5.
MacLeod believes that date is obtainable.
“August is a great time for us to start to think, August to September, on what a return to some level of normalcy will be with most people being vaccinated with both doses. So, my hope is that is not too soon. We will look at that date as not to ambitious.”
She notes having fans in the stands, even at a limited capacity, is “ambitious” right now.
MacLeod adds Hamilton hosting the Grey Cup on December 12 will depend on public health conditions.
