Hoopla to be cancelled if STF sanctions aren’t lifted by Wednesday: SHSAA

According to the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association (SHSAA), the provincial high school basketball championship tournament — which is set to run from Thursday through Saturday in Moose Jaw — won’t be able to go forward without the support of teachers.

“If sanctions are not lifted, Hoopla will be cancelled due to the lack of teacher involvement in the events and the constraints for schools and host sites in planning and preparing for the events,” Dave Sandomirsky, the association’s executive director, said in a statement.

“Without Saskatchewan teachers available to participate in SHSAA activities as a coach, official, or organizer, SHSAA events cannot continue to be offered.”

On Monday morning, the federation announced that teachers across Saskatchewan will withdraw their support for extracurricular activities on Thursday and Friday amid its ongoing contract dispute with the provincial government. There’s to be a single-day strike Wednesday by all of the union’s members, with thousands of teachers expected to join a demonstration in Regina.

The federation said the Optimist Band Festival in Regina will also be affected by the sanctions. Festival organizers said late Monday that it had been cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday.

According to Sandomirsky, if the basketball tournament is cancelled, it will be a big disappointment for around 750 student-athletes, along with their coaches, managers and other team personnel.

“It will be extremely disappointing if the two sides cannot come to an arrangement that will allow the sanctions to be lifted,” Sandomirsky said.

“The negative economic impact will be vast.”

A few dozen basketball athletes from high schools in Moose Jaw are out protesting due to the possible cancelation of HOOPLA. pic.twitter.com/BvAtkesT8Z

— Britton Gray (@BrittonGray) March 18, 2024

Sandomirsky said the organization will have no further comment on the matter, but urged both sides to come together before the 3 p.m. deadline on Wednesday to ensure the tournament can go ahead as planned.

The primary sticking points between teachers and the province have been class size and classroom complexity – the number of students in each class who require individual assistance.

While the province has acknowledged the issues and signed an agreement with school boards guaranteeing a major funding boost over the next four years, the union said that funding could be clawed back in the future unless it’s included in teachers’ new contract.

Premier calls latest sanctions ‘very disappointing’

During a media event in Regina, Premier Scott Moe was asked about the potential cancellation of the high school basketball tournament.

“We see the teachers’ union targeting Hoopla, targeting ending this event that children and organizers have been working on for so long,” Moe said. “I would say that’s disappointing that the union would do that.

“They likely have spent more time working on how they’re going to cancel this event than they have spent at the bargaining table over the course of the last five months. All of that is very, very disappointing.”

Moe said the government has been trying to find what he called “points of collaboration” to get the union back to the table — including pilot projects to address teachers’ concerns about classroom complexity — but also to ensure that students can continue with extracurricular events.

When Moe was asked about the union’s comments blaming the provincial government for the imposition of the sanctions, he quickly turned that around.

“It’s their decision. It’s their decision to make,” Moe said. “They don’t have to shut down Hoopla. They can make a decision not to shut down Hoopla and they can make a decision to come back to the bargaining table, and we respectfully would invite them to do so.”

Becotte says more events could be at risk

During a virtual news conference Monday, STF president Samantha Becotte said whether the events go ahead is up to their organizing committees.

“From what I have heard, it would be a challenge,” she said.

“I know for the (Optimist Band Festival) it does start (Monday) and goes (Monday and Tuesday). But with the provincewide strike that’s occurring on Wednesday, it won’t occur Wednesday and Thursday.”

She said there are also other events in the coming weeks that could be at risk due to sanctions.

“We want to prevent any of those from being impacted, but we need government to come to the table and be willing to engage in a meaningful process,” she said.

Becotte said she knows there is a risk of losing public support as students and families are impacted by the actions the federation takes, but said the union is still receiving positive feedback.

“I still see so many messages from the public saying that we need to have these issues addressed in the long term,” she said.

— With files from 650 CKOM’s Lara Fominoff and 980 CJME’s Lisa Schick