THUNDER BAY – Curling Canada says for now, the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts is proceeding as planned.
Al Cameron, director of communications and media relations at Curling Canada, on Thursday said not knowing what they don’t know makes it too tough to put any kind of contingency plan on the table more than nine months out.
“We’re planning for every contingency that’s out there. That is under way. But we don’t know what the situation will be,” Cameron said, reached by phone in Calgary.
Whatever decision is ultimately made – whether to hold the event as planned with fans in the stands at Fort William Gardens or an alternative option – will be made in full consultation with local and provincial governments, with the health and safety of fans, volunteers and athletes at the forefront.
“We’re seeing ... the playing field change almost on a daily basis. But that planning is under way and we’re looking at all potential outcomes.
Locally, organizer Rick Lang said they’re in a bit of a holding pattern at this point, but said they’ve been in frequent contact with Curling Canada and said ultimately it will be the governing body’s call how to proceed in the COVID-19 era.
“They’re making contingency plans, everything from a full event the way it’s supposed to be, a great event, down to full cancellation. They’re taking all those situations into account. They’ve advised us to carry on and keep planning, keep working and hope that it will happen,” Lang said.
At the moment, Ontario has placed severe restrictions on the number of people who can gather, which if left in place, would make it tough to stage.
Not only that, Lang said, it’s a social event designed to bring fans from across the country together. Lang said that works best if the world is open for business again and physical distancing measures can be relaxed.
That’s the dream.
But there remains the chance fans won’t be allowed in the stands by February 2021.
If that’s the case, Lang, who coaches Northern Ontario reigning champion Krista McCarville rink, said it might be best to wait a year, even though 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the last time the Canadian women’s curling championship was held in Thunder Bay.
“We really hope that we’ll be in a better place by then and we will have fans. We had tremendous ticket sales here in Thunder Bay. We’re 80 per cent sold out. So there’s a lot of interest. People want to see it live. They get to see it live on TV all the time,” Lang said.
“We really want to have a live event here. I think that if that wasn’t happening, we’d like to perhaps have the next year’s event here so that people could see it live.”
Lang said they have put their volunteer selection process on hold for the time being, but said they will still need 400 people to help out and will start looking again in September.
The nine-day event is scheduled to begin on Feb. 20, 2021.
