Pressure mounts as CFL enters second day of work stoppage
The wind blowing against the uprights was the only action at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon Monday morning as the league enters day two of the work stoppage.
Flo and Richard Coffey have been Saskatchewan Roughriders season ticket holders for the last ten years and with the pre season just a week away, they are eager to see an agreement.
“We would like to go to the game on the 23rd but we do understand where the players are coming from,” said Richard Coffey. “They (players) do need some protection.
Seven of the nine teams have cancelled training camp with Alberta labour laws preventing Edmonton and Calgary players from striking until Tuesday.
TSN CFL Insider Dave Naylor said although discussions have broken off, it does not mean the two sides are not communicating.
“I think there is a sense that there's a bit of a cooling off period needed here and it may in fact be the mediator that has been working with the two sides throughout this process, that brings them back together perhaps later this week,” said Naylor.
Naylor added there is a sense of urgency among the CFL, especially rookie players.
“Every team has 50 rookies in camp and it's hard for rookies to make a football team the shorter the camp gets because veterans know the playbook, know the coaches, and know the teammates while rookies don't,” said Naylor. “So the less time you give them to acclimatize themselves, the harder it is for them to make a team.”
Pressure is mounting on both sides to get a deal done.
“The longer this goes on, pressure builds,” said Naylor. “Pressure builds on the players, on the owners and this is basically the game or sport of the collective bargaining.”
Fans also hope an agreement happens soon so they can enjoy the sport they love
“Sooner rather than later, but they need to get something,” said Coffey. “They need to have some kind of protection as a player.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
A Nigerian chess champion plays the royal game for 60 hours - a new global chess record
A Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate played chess nonstop for 60 hours in New York City's Times Square to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.