Seniors curling tourney still a go in Sault Ste. Marie
The 2021 Canadian Senior Curling Championships in Sault Ste. Marie is still a go. However, in the face of a rapidly climbing COVID-19 case count, some events connected with the curling tournament have been cancelled.
Curlers from across Canada are set to descend on the Community First Curling Centre in Sault Ste. Marie this weekend. However, event chair Al Harnden said that under the direction of Algoma Public Health, the event has been pared down.
"Our opening social was to be held at the Bushplane (Heritage Centre) and our closing victory banquet was to be held at the Delta (Hotel), and both of those events have been cancelled, sadly," said Harnden.
"But, on the other side of this, we'll just focus on what we're really here for - and that's a great curling event."
He said the venue will be at 50 per cent capacity and staff will be ensuring public health restrictions are followed.
"Families can sit together, single people will be by themselves somewhere else, chairs are apart, tables are six feet apart," Harnden said.
"Bleachers, we have areas where we can have people can sit and other areas where they can't."
Tom McLean, president of the Soo Curlers Association, said every effort will be made to ensure a safe environment for curlers and spectators.
"We've brought in lots of extra sanitizing equipment, we've brought in some extra staff to make sure our high-touch surfaces are cleaned regularly," said McLean.
"(There will be) two stations to make sure that for contact tracing, we know who's coming in and out of the building."
Despite the cancelling of some activities, Harnden said he still anticipates a great curling event.
"We're just looking forward to having some of the world's best senior curlers in our city," he said. "We're going to run the best event possible. We're determined to do that."
Spectators will be required to show proof of vaccination and provide contact information for tracing purposes. The first draw of the 2021 Senior Curling Championship goes Monday morning.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.