City of Toronto Cancels Public Events until June 30
The City of Toronto will cancel all public events from March 31 until June 30 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. This is according to Tom Harrington of the CBC Tuesday afternoon.
BREAKING: City of Toronto bans all public events until June 30.
— Tom Harrington (@cbctom) March 31, 2020
The Ripple Effect
It looks like this will affect all sporting events within the city limits of Toronto. This ban comes similarly to one made by the Governor of Illinois banning all public events until the end of April. The Toronto Blue Jays will not be directly affected, but they could play games to empty stadiums. For Major League Baseball, this potentially means that some Toronto Blue Jays home games could move to alternate venues. There is no word yet on whether the City of Toronto will allow the Blue Jays to play in empty stadiums.
With Major League Baseball postponing the season back on March 12, along with the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer, today’s decision by Toronto City Council could make them re-assess their eventual return date.
Toronto is canceling all city-led and permitted events through June 30 amid the pandemic.Don Peat, a spokesman for the mayor, said it applies to events that get city permits like parades and festivals and does not include sports events like the Blue Jays, Raptors and Maple Leafs.
— Rob Gillies (@rgilliescanada) March 31, 2020
What This Means for the Blue Jays
Regardless, this decision from the Toronto City Council has impacted the fan experience for sports fans in and around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). This likely would close any pre-game, outdoor viewing parties or post-game events in Toronto.
It’s unclear whether Toronto’s City Council will reverse this decision should the threat of COVID-19 lessen in the coming weeks. Currently, there are 1,673 known active cases of COVID-19 in the province of Ontario. Canadians have been told to socially distance from one another and limit the number of people in gatherings. While it is uncertain how long the quarantine will last in Ontario, the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to pay their staff during the unfortunate times.
No one from the Toronto Blue Jays or Major League Baseball has commented on the mayor’s decree yet.
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