Ontario accelerates return-to-play plans for professional, elite-amateur sports

Top tier athletes in Ontario can expect to be back in action by the end of the summer.

Ontario said it has accelerated its return-to-play plan for professional and elite amateur leagues as the province loosens COVID-19 restrictions. Sports Minister Lisa MacLeod said on Monday that high-level teams can now hold non-contact practice and dry-land training and they will be allowed to resume games as soon as August.

The province's return-to-play plan applies to 18 leagues across six sports including the Canadian Football League, the Ontario Hockey League, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer and the National Basketball Association among others. International and single-sport athletes may also resume training.

There is still no plan for spectators to be able to watch games in person, but MacLeod said the provincial government is working with professional sports teams to make that possible in time.

“The idea today was really to accelerate a return to play for those leagues so that they could have some certainty in their planning,” said MacLeod. “I'm very mindful of the fact that we want to host the Grey Cup in Ontario and the Ticats in Hamilton are getting ready for that so this provides a lot more certainty and clarity for them.

“It allows us to have a lot of hope after we moved into Step 1 last Friday that there will be a broader return to play on the horizon and hopefully that includes spectators at a ticketed event.”

MacLeod said that professional teams in largely American leagues like the Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors, and Toronto FC, are included in Ontario's return-to-play plan. However, those teams' ability to travel to and from the United States and host visiting teams from south of the border is a federal responsibility.

The CFL and OHL are the most impacted by the decision, having missed an entire season because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Toronto Argonauts, and Ottawa Redblacks all have training camps scheduled to begin in early July.

MacLeod said CFL teams may immediately begin training as long as they meet provincial safety standards and have the approval of their local public health officials.

“We are hopeful and we are mindful that as many more Ontarians get vaccinated, as many more Ontarians are free from COVID-19 and recovering that we'll be in a better position,” said MacLeod.

Other professional leagues included in the return-to-play plan include the American Hockey League, Canadian Elite Basketball League, Canadian Premier League, National Hockey League, National Lacrosse League, National Women's Hockey League, and USL League-1.

 Amateur leagues included in the plan are the Canadian Hockey League, Elite Basketball League of Ontario, League 1 Ontario, Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association, Ontario Junior A Lacrosse League, Ontario Women's Field Lacrosse League, and the provincial women's hockey team.

International singles competitions like the National Bank Open, a Women's Tennis Association event scheduled this summer at Toronto's Aviva Centre, is also allowed within the framework.

Public health officials in Toronto, Hamilton, and Ottawa did not immediately return requests for comment. The CFL and OHL also did not offer public statements.