Sudbury Minor Hockey Association welcomes new vaccination rules
CBC
Sports leagues in northern Ontario are preparing to implement new vaccine rules affecting coaches, officials and other volunteers.
This week, northern Ontario's seven public health units jointly announced new COVID-19 vaccination requirements that go beyond those implemented by the province.
Under Ontario's regulations, spectators at indoor sports facilities are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. But the province's rules do not apply to volunteers, or players under 18 who are entering the facility to play an organized sport.
The new rules for northern Ontario mean those who are coaching, officiating, or volunteering for an indoor sport will need to show proof of vaccination. Players under 18 will continue to be exempt.
"We welcome this," said Tannys Laughren, a board member with the Sudbury Minor Hockey Association and the association's COVID-19 representative.
"At the end of the day, our responsibility as a board and as an association are to keep our kids safe, and it's just one more layer of safety that's been added for the hockey season."
Laughren said Sudbury Minor Hockey has already been "strongly encouraging" all players to get vaccinated. She said on a personal level, she would support requiring proof of vaccination for players 12 and up as well. But she said the association is following the rules set out by health units, the municipality, and the Northern Ontario Hockey Association.
What the 'inadvertent error' in the PBO's carbon tax analysis means, in as plain English as possible
The next time you feel bad about a mistake in your line of work, spare a thought for the folks at the Parliamentary Budget Office.