Moe ‘not aware’ of Western Hockey League deal for Regina bubble

A tweet from a prominent sportscaster Wednesday night had Regina believed to be the locus of a pandemic-altered Western Hockey League season.

Sportsnet hockey host Jeff Marek reported the league had been given approval from Saskatchewan to host a bubble in Regina. According to his tweet, the WHL is waiting on Manitoba to allow teams in Brandon and Winnipeg to join.

Speaking to Gormley guest host Mike Couros on Thursday, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said he was “not aware” of such an agreement.

But he said the province’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, has been “working very closely” with the league on some sort of modified season.

Hearing the WHL has received approval from the province of Saskatchewan to hold a bubble in Regina. Still waiting for Manitoba to allow Brandon + Winnipeg to join.

— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) February 4, 2021

“I think that would be something for all of us to look forward to and to enjoy in what has been a difficult 11 months,” Moe said.

“We’re hopeful that we’d be able to, one, get those young adults that are looking towards a professional career on the ice and, two, get our community WHL teams (and) their organizations up and going.”

The WHL postponed the start of its regular season due to COVID-19, but the league announced Jan. 8 it was committed to playing a 2021 campaign.

Cases trending in right direction but not pace

The premier maintained that current COVID-19 restrictions are working, pointing to the declining seven-day average of new daily cases, which was at 233 new cases per day as of Wednesday. That number peaked at 321 in mid-January.

“The trajectory we were on is not as quick as I would hope, admittedly, but it is trending down and we’re going to continue on the path we’re on,” Moe said.

Should that trend reverse, Moe said further restrictions would need to be considered.

‘Very good job’ on long term care

Facing calls from the opposition NDP to end for-profit care homes, Moe said long-term care facilities in the province have done a “very good job” protecting their residents from COVID-19.

“We’ve had a number of outbreaks and long-term care centres — whether they be public or private — have, for the most part, been able to control those outbreaks as best as they are able,” he said.

“They’ve done a very good job in ensuring that they contain that as best as they are able. Thanks to each and every frontline worker in our long-term care facilities here in this province, we have not seen what other provinces have seen in the way of fatalities in our long-term care facilities.”

The provincial ombudsman is currently investigating the circumstances at Parkside Extendicare in Regina, where an outbreak included 200 cases and resulted in numerous deaths.