Alberta is the first province to officially say the NHL can play in its arenas for the coming season, while at least two of its colleagues say they are working on the issue.
In a statement to the Canadian Press on Thursday, the Alberta government said it approved Edmonton and Calgary for the competition in December. 25 after reviewing the protocols outlined in the league’s return to play plan, with some further improvements.
Later Thursday, A Manitoba government spokesman said discussions about the NHL and hosting the Games in Winnipeg were ongoing.
Dr. Jazz Atwal, Manitoba’s Deputy Provincial Public Health chief, said the province was a joint signatory to a letter the five Canadian jurisdictions sent to the NHL with teams last week and is working to resume the season.
`There are still red tape and procedural steps that need to take place, but from a public health perspective it’s a sound plan.”
Atwal said there are a few small steps that still need to be completed.
`I think one is that the controls have to change to be able to play, ‘ he said.
B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said Thursday that his province is still discussing whether the games can be hosted there.
`We haven’t given a definitive answer, but we will soon, ‘ he told a story conference.
Health officials in Quebec and Ontario did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the possibility of hosting NHL games in those provinces.
Alberta’s confirmation is the first of five provinces with NHL teams since Assistant Commissioner Bill Daly on Dec. 24 that the league believes it can play games in all seven Canadian markets.
These franchises only play each other during the regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs as part of a newly created Northern division and do not cross the border with the United States, which remains closed for non-essential travel due to the recent time pandemic.
Daly’s Dec. The statement came after Sportsnet reported that Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, sent a memo to the league on behalf of the provinces requesting enhanced testing or a return to a scenario where all teams would be in a safe zone.a city, as the NHL did this summer in Edmonton and Toronto.
The provinces wanted to take a collective approach to talking to the league, Dix said.
`We have submitted proposals to the NHL that they have taken over and we believe these plans are consistent with safety protocols with respect to public health risks, ‘ Dr Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer for British Columbia, said Thursday.
‘It is now up to the respective provinces to determine whether the games will take place or not.”
In a separate statement Thursday, the federal government announced it had issued a waiver to the mandatory 14-day quarantine period for NHL players and team employees who return to Canada on” national interest ” grounds for training camps.”
Daly said in an email to the Canadian Press that provincial health authorities have changed quarantine procedures for players and team personnel entering the country.