Calgary Stampeders fans excited for first pre-season kickoff in 3 years
Fans of the Calgary Stampeders are breathing a sigh of relief and looking forward to watching pre-season football at McMahon Stadium on Saturday for the first time since 2019.
A deal struck between the CFL Players’ Association and the league meant the collective bargaining agreement would be agreed upon just in time for exhibition games.
A 2 p.m. matinee affair between the Stamps and B.C. Lions on Saturday brought out thousands of spectators, including Andrea Henry who has been tailgating in Calgary for the last 15 years.
She’s happy to hear that her favourite players got what they needed to ensure a competitive and exciting year ahead.
“I was 100 per cent with the players, I agreed with their comments about what the owners and CFL commissioner wanted to do,” Henry said.
“'I’m not always a huge supporter of strikes, but if they went on strike, I understood why, so the fact that it's back and they've settled is just brilliant.”
Other fans like Wheeler Boys are just happy that he can bring his entire family out to the games again.
“We got a little stressed out during the off-season, I mean our whole lives revolve around football for the most part and having a local team. This is what we live for,” he said.
“Honestly, we can all have our opinions but at the end of the day, we just want to see the kickoff. It doesn't really matter how they ratified it at the end of the day."
The CFL announced a seven-year labour agreement with its players, ending a lengthy and sometimes contentious negotiation that included the second strike in league history and first since 1974.
A new deal means CFL teams can have seven Canadian starters and 21 in total on the roster this year. In 2023, that number increases to eight with one being a nationalized American – a player from the U.S. who has spent either five years in the CFL or at least three with the same team.
CFL players will also receive a ratification bonus of $2,450 each according to league sources who spoke under anonymity as neither the league nor the union provided specific details of the new deal.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.