Ottawa BlackJacks want 300 fully vaccinated healthcare workers in stands for home opener at TD Place
Ottawa's professional basketball team is hoping fans will be in the stands for the home opener next Thursday at TD Place.
The Ottawa BlackJacks have asked Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Lisa MacLeod for permission to host 300 fully vaccinated healthcare workers for three games, including the first game on June 24.
"If the NHL is allowed in the province of Ontario to have fully vaccinated healthcare workers, there's no reason why basketball in Ottawa should be given the same," said Michael Cvitkovic, President of the Ottawa BlackJacks.
The BlackJacks shared a letter on social media sent to Premier Ford on June 3. The letter notes Ontario allowed 550 fully vaccinated healthcare workers to attend a Toronto Maple Leafs game against Montreal on May 31.
"In consultation with Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, the venue managers of the Arena at TD Place where the Ottawa BlackJacks play, based on the 10,000 seat basketball capacity of the venue and the precedent set in Toronto, we have estimated a safe capacity of 300 healthcare workers should be permitted to attend our home games slated for June 24, 28 and July 1, 2021 with complimentary admission," said the BlackJacks in the letter to the Premier.
The BlackJacks want to express their appreciation for the work of healthcare workers.
They’re the real heroes and so it’s an opportunity for out players and coaches to be able to say thank you, to be able to give back," said Cvitkov.
"To be able to have some people here, the acoustics are great, 300 people, vaccinated healthcare workers here at the Arena at TD place, it's still going to sound loud."
The team says Mayor Jim Watson has endorsed the plan, but they haven't received a response from the Ontario government.
The office of Health Minister Christine Elliott provided CTV News Ottawa with a copy of a letter the minister sent to the Ottawa BlackJacks president.
"Thank you for reaching out and offering your upcoming home games as opportunities to celebrate Ontario's healthcare workers," wrote Elliott.
"While we know now is not the time to begin reopening indoor sports venues, we will take your generous offer into consideration and we will follow up if an opportunity presents itself in the future."
Elliott's letter notes Ontario allowed 550 fully vaccinated healthcare workers to attend the Leafs-Canadiens Game, with "rigorous health and safety protocols" in place.
"This special exemption was made as a sign of our appreciation for their commitment to upholding the health and safety of Ontarians throughout the pandemic."
The Mayor's Office tells CTV News Ottawa that Watson sent a letter to the premier on June 3 in support of the proposal.
"I believe this is a safe and worthwhile initiative to replicate in Ottawa what was done in Toronto earlier this week. I’m certain this proposal would be a welcomed gesture of gratitude for our fully vaccinated healthcare workers in recognition of their efforts over the last 15 months," wrote Watson in the letter to Ford.
The Ottawa BlackJacks play in the Canada Elite Basketball League.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.