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
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
B.C. man fighting for refund after finding someone living at Whistler vacation rental
Edwin Mostered spent thousands of dollars booking a vacation home in Whistler, B.C., for a group skiing trip earlier this year – or so he thought.
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended at least six months
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, U.S. officials warn
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.