Northern Ontario Hockey Association announces vaccine policy for players
CBC
Hockey leagues in northern Ontario are bracing for change as players age 12 and up will soon have to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
Under provincial rules, players under 18 are exempt from vaccination requirements, which apply to spectators and older players. But some organizations have been adding extra regulations of their own.
This week the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA), the group overseeing all minor and junior hockey in northeastern Ontario, announced a vaccine policy for its 14,000 players.
Jason Marchand, executive director of the NOHA, said he expects not every player to be happy with the extra set of rules.
"We will lose players," Marchand said, "And we respect everyone's decisions to what they do. But at the same time our goal throughout all of this was to provide a safe environment, as safe as we can, to be able to make it through a season."
"Last year was an extremely difficult one, where hockey stopped and started in most of the province," Marchand said. "So in the end, we want to be able to provide that environment throughout the season without those stops and starts and avoid anyone, as best as we can, from getting sick."
Some parents took to NOHA's Facebook page to voice their displeasure with the league for announcing the policy months after registration fees were collected and teams assembled.