The news that high school basketball players and coaches all over the province have been dreading took another step toward reality on Thursday morning.
The Saskatchewan Teachers Federation announced that unless the province enters into a new collective bargaining agreement by Sunday, Mar. 17, further and increased sanctions will be in the mix.
And to add an ominous air for local basketball fans, Hoopla 2024 -- scheduled to begin in Moose Jaw on Thursday. Mar. 21 -- was directly mentioned.
“The STF highlights the importance of government agreeing before Sunday, March 17,” the press release states. “As the STF has stated previously, sanction actions will increase as the impasse continues and many important extracurricular activities and events are fast approaching, starting with Hoopla next week.”
STF president Samantha Becotte expressed disappointment that such actions may come to pass.
“We’re asking Minister (Jeremy) Cockrill to agree so that we can reach a resolution,” said Becotte. “Every day the Minister delays his decision means students are missing out on more activities, lost deposits and the cancellation of events.
“To put this in clear terms: if the government refuses binding arbitration, then Minister Cockrill and Premier Moe are choosing to cancel school trips, graduation planning, band festivals, Hoopla and so many more of this year’s activities that bring joy to our students and school communities.”
The high school basketball season continues provincially with regional playdowns this weekend, including multiple tournaments in Moose Jaw. The field in all five school size categories and both genders, covering hundreds of schools, will be whittled down to four teams in each division, with those teams converging on Moose Jaw for Hoopla for the final provincial playoff.
Fans of high school basketball in Moose Jaw will be feeling a bit of deja vu.
Hoopla was last supposed to take place in Canada’s Most Notorious City in late March of 2020, with teams having gone through the city championships when word came down that the basketball regional tournaments were on the verge of being cancelled, which would have taken Hoopla with it.
That decision caused students to protest, but mere days later, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all sports and made the cancellation moot.
Teacher job action in the current impasse has seen several league nights cancelled, in addition to the city basketball championship that was scheduled for this past Monday.
Be sure to keep an eye on www.moosejawtoday.com, the Saskatchewan High Schools Athleltic Association at www.shsaa.ca and the Saskatchewan Teacher’s Federation at www.stf.sk.ca for updates in the coming days.
