Ontario asks federal government to open border for Toronto Blue Jays
Ontario's sports minister has asked the federal government to allow the Toronto Blue Jays to play in Canada.
Lisa MacLeod said in a letter sent to her federal counterpart, Steven Guilbeault, on Friday that the Ontario government supports the Blue Jays playing at Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto.
MacLeod noted that in Step 3 of Ontario's recovery plan, the Jays would be able to play with limited spectators at Rogers Centre.
"Fans have been eagerly anticipating the return of the Blue Jays to their home field, where they have not played since the 2019 season,'' said MacLeod in the letter acquired by The Canadian Press. "After nearly two years away, the Blue Jays have signalled they are ready to come home.''
Although the domed Rogers Centre has a retractable roof, it qualifies as an outdoor venue under the provincial regulations. Ontario entered Step 3 on just after midnight on Friday, loosening a number of COVID-19 regulations, including allowing fitness facilities, cinemas, indoor dining, museums and other venues to reopen after a months-long shutdown.
As of Friday, 79 per cent of adult Ontarians had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 60 per cent were fully vaccinated.
"Over the past several weeks, Ontarians have been stepping up to the plate to be vaccinated and surpassing vaccination targets, contributing to steady improvements in public health and health care indicators in the province,'' said MacLeod.
Federal co-operation is necessary to let the Blue Jays and their opponents to cross the border with the United States as part of Major League Baseball's schedule.
Canada's deputy chief public health officer said Thursday that the Blue Jays' return to Canadian soil is "trending in a very good direction,'' but did not give a firm date for a decision.
Dr. Howard Njoo said there had been "a lot of good back-and-forth'' between the franchise and the government over the team's application for a so-called "National Interest Exemption'' to Canada's COVID-19 travel restrictions.
"We're looking at, I would say, last details. But at this point I would say there aren't any showstoppers or anything that we really can't continue to discuss and move forward on,'' said Njoo.
"So I can't give you a date in terms of when a possible decision would be made for the NIE or national interest exemption, but I would say that in terms of the discussions from a public health perspective, they've been going very well.''
The Blue Jays' last game at Rogers Centre was on Sept. 29, 2019, an 8-3 win over Tampa Bay. They have not been based at the 49,000-seat facility in any capacity in a year.
Although the Canadian government allowed the Blue Jays to host their summer training camp in Toronto last July before the shortened 2020 season, a request to play regular-season games north of the border was denied.
This season, the Blue Jays started play at their spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla., before returning to Buffalo's Sahlen Field on June 1.
The Blue Jays returned from the all-star break on Friday, when they start a three-game series with the Texas Rangers in Buffalo.
The Jays open a three-game home series with visiting Kansas City on July 30. The venue is not listed on Major League Baseball's website.
The Canadian government gave the NHL a travel exemption for the final two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs and recently approved a plan that allowed CFL players and staff to return to Canada without undergoing a full 14-day quarantine.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.