Quebec: Cancelled to AUgust 31st

[Hollywood3]

Quebec calls for cancellation of all sports, festivals and cultural events until Aug. 31 - TSN.ca

So will McGill, UQTR, and Concordia even prepare for a season?

Click to read more...

 

[dale 1919]

Quebec calls for cancellation of all sports, festivals and cultural events until Aug. 31 - TSN.ca

So will McGill, UQTR, and Concordia even prepare for a season?

Stay tuned Holly! This might be the end of fall sports in USPORTS, and a November start for winter sports if at all.......

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

I would say there’s a very good chance the upcoming season doesn’t start on time.

 

[Hollywood3]

Will classes start in September? If not, can you even operate a league?

 

[Hollywood3]

Latest chart:

Prov.	Conf.	Rec'd	Deaths
Quebec	18,357	3,555	877
Ontario	11,184	5,515	584
Alberta	2,803	1,198	55
B.C.	1,647	987	81
N.S.	721	248	9
Sask.	314	234	4
Nfld.	257	191	3
Manitoba	245	143	5
N.B.	118	92	0
P.E.I.	26	23	0
Yukon	9	8	0
N.W.T.	5	3	0
Nunavut	0	0	0

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

One number not quoted is the amount in hospital. Although not listed, the number of active cases can be calculated, i.e. confirmed - recovered - deaths = active.

Looking at Alberta and BC, you see how testing processes skew the numbers. Alberta tests almost everybody, which inflates their number of "confirmed" cases. However, they have way fewer deaths than BC.

I have seen that Manitoba has just 8 patients in hospital, Sask has just 5.

In all reporting there is one further problem in that these numbers measure just whether the patient tests positive for the virus, NOT whether the virus is the cause of their hospitalization or death.

It is my view that the best numbers to see are the number of deaths and the number in hospital. The rest of the numbers, and any resultant "ratios", are skewed by testing policies.

 

[MiamiHockey]

The Quebec headline is a bit misleading ... they are not cancelling sports, just cancelling public sport events. BIG difference.

I would suggest the following will happen (let's see how well this post ages):
- All Canadian universities will shift to online-dominant courses for Fall 2020 (except for those courses which cannot be done online, such as medical / engineering labs).
- USports teams will be allowed to practice, but not play.
- Athletic scholarships will be honoured.
- A few of the programs at smaller schools (hello, Laurentian) will get cut, a la Lethbridge.

Keep in mind that Athletics programs are cost centres for every university. They will live up to their current commitments, but will seek to eliminate every possible cost (hello, travel).

 

[Hollywood3]

Might as well put this here ....

IMO we need to make plans to open society without vaccines, at least in most areas.

A vaccine may never happen. We have never had one for the common cold, and likely never will. We never did get one for SARS or MERS. So there exists a strong possibility that we'll never get one for the Wuhan virus. Example:

There may never be a vaccine for COVID-19

Also, we get a vaccine every year for the flu, yet thousands did from the flu every year.

In fact, it is now being widely discussed that a vaccine may make this worse. The reason is that in time the virus would die out. But with a vaccine it would mutate from something relatively benign to something serious. Example:

As pressure for coronavirus vaccine mounts, scientists debate risks of accelerated testing

The stats show that this is only a regional problem. (However, the affected regions hold disproportionate political and media influence.)

Prov	Conf'd	Rec'd	Dead
Manitoba	290 +0	251	7
Quebec	39,931 +706	10,470	3,220
Ontario	21,494 +329	16,204	1,798
Alberta	6,407 +62	5,076	120
B.C.	2,376 +16	1,859	132
Nova Scotia	1,026 +4	909	51
Sask.	577 +4	385	6
Nfld.	261 +0	244	3
N.B.	120 +0	118	0
P.E.I.	27 +0	27	0
Yukon	11 +0	11	0
N.W.T.	5 +0	5	0
Nunavut	0	0	0

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Manitoba releases daily numbers. Hospitalizations are down to 4 people. (Yet they cancelled operations and other diagnostics, as did other provinces, which will no doubt cause several more deaths than this virus.)

Government cannot now come out and admit they were wrong. Scientists can't say oops we goofed, but believe us now that we have more data.

Some people will no doubt stop going out for years as a by-product of the fear mongering.

Open public defiance of authorities is growing and hopefully government will act before violence erupts. My fear is that some politicians have too much invested in this (money and reputation) to allow this "crisis" to go away easily.

We now are getting information on "excess deaths". In select jurisdictions, it was found that the number of deaths since the Wuhan virus were up from the expected amount, the difference being "excess deaths" attributable to the virus. But on analysis, a majority of jurisdictions saw deaths go DOWN! So either the virus is a good thing (!) or scientists who offered this theory were wrong.

Story: Excess deaths? Not in Canada during pandemic's early days, StatCan says

 

[MiamiHockey]

No. This does not belong here.

Might as well put this here ....

IMO we need to make plans to open society without vaccines, at least in most areas.

 

[AUS Fan]

For a moment I thought I was on the FOX News site.

 

[northvanman]

Might as well put this here ....

IMO we need to make plans to open society without vaccines, at least in most areas.

A vaccine may never happen. We have never had one for the common cold, and likely never will. We never did get one for SARS or MERS. So there exists a strong possibility that we'll never get one for the Wuhan virus. Example:

There may never be a vaccine for COVID-19

Also, we get a vaccine every year for the flu, yet thousands did from the flu every year.

In fact, it is now being widely discussed that a vaccine may make this worse. The reason is that in time the virus would die out. But with a vaccine it would mutate from something relatively benign to something serious. Example:

As pressure for coronavirus vaccine mounts, scientists debate risks of accelerated testing

The stats show that this is only a regional problem. (However, the affected regions hold disproportionate political and media influence.)

Prov	Conf'd	Rec'd	Dead
Manitoba	290 +0	251	7
Quebec	39,931 +706	10,470	3,220
Ontario	21,494 +329	16,204	1,798
Alberta	6,407 +62	5,076	120
B.C.	2,376 +16	1,859	132
Nova Scotia	1,026 +4	909	51
Sask.	577 +4	385	6
Nfld.	261 +0	244	3
N.B.	120 +0	118	0
P.E.I.	27 +0	27	0
Yukon	11 +0	11	0
N.W.T.	5 +0	5	0
Nunavut	0	0	0

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Manitoba releases daily numbers. Hospitalizations are down to 4 people. (Yet they cancelled operations and other diagnostics, as did other provinces, which will no doubt cause several more deaths than this virus.)

Government cannot now come out and admit they were wrong. Scientists can't say oops we goofed, but believe us now that we have more data.

Some people will no doubt stop going out for years as a by-product of the fear mongering.

Open public defiance of authorities is growing and hopefully government will act before violence erupts. My fear is that some politicians have too much invested in this (money and reputation) to allow this "crisis" to go away easily.

We now are getting information on "excess deaths". In select jurisdictions, it was found that the number of deaths since the Wuhan virus were up from the expected amount, the difference being "excess deaths" attributable to the virus. But on analysis, a majority of jurisdictions saw deaths go DOWN! So either the virus is a good thing (!) or scientists who offered this theory were wrong.

Story: Excess deaths? Not in Canada during pandemic's early days, StatCan says

What a terrifying post.

 

[Hollywood3]

What a terrifying post.

It depends on where you live. There are good and bad things there. The best: This disease is NOT as deadly as feared. The worst: Hard hit areas cannot rely upon a vaccine coming around to save the day.

Quebec's numbers really stand out as particularly bad.

 

[AUS Fan]

It depends on where you live. There are good and bad things there. The best: This disease is NOT as deadly as feared. The worst: Hard hit areas cannot rely upon a vaccine coming around to save the day.

Quebec's numbers really stand out as particularly bad.

Holly, I really like what you do with the Top 34 and many other things. But I think your post on the vaccine does not belong on this Forum. I'm as political as the next guy but I pick my spots. And this isn't one of them.

Just my opinion.....

 

[northvanman]

It depends on where you live. There are good and bad things there. The best: This disease is NOT as deadly as feared. The worst: Hard hit areas cannot rely upon a vaccine coming around to save the day.

Quebec's numbers really stand out as particularly bad.

You totally missed the meaning behind my post (my bad - maybe I need to use more words). It wasn't that stats you posted, it's your opinion.

 

[timbitca]

Agreed, politicising sports is never the answer. And the sooner people stop trying to link the Covid-19 pandemic with the god damn yearly f***ing flu the sooner we are going to get through this (think I'm tired of the comparison?)

 

[AUS Fan]

You totally missed the meaning behind my post (my bad - maybe I need to use more words). It wasn't that stats you posted, it's your opinion.

I had to read this several times and then go back to your original comment on "terrifying post" to fully get the context of what you were saying. I agree with you that you should use more words and am in total agreement with the sentiment expressed in your original comment.

 

[Hockeyfan44]

Going back to the original reason this thread was created... Does anything think/know if Usports will start a single conference before others. In other words will the CanadaWest start play earlier because of their relatively low numbers. Or will Usports say everyone has to start at the exact same time, because if that's the case it's highly likely that we won't see any Canadian college hockey at all this season

 

[AUS Fan]

I would think they would want to have a "level playing field" and wait until all regions were able to support sports. I also feel that at the rate things are progressing with some stability in number of cases across the country, the future of sports may not be as bleak as it was a few weeks ago. That being said, there will always be some inherent risk of infection and this will certainly factor in any decisions being made.

Without getting political, there are more pressing issues for the country that need fixing before sports.

-OR-

To put it in simpler terms: "who knows"....

 

[AdamMcg83]

I think there are a nunber of factors to consider here, but let me preface this by echoing AUS Fan's sentiments: there are more important balls in the air right now, and who knows how or when USports will fit into that.
But...in addition to the other benchmarks that are necessary for other parts of society to "re-open," the USports decisions will also be impacted by campus decisions and economic impact. Here is a good read on the subject, with quotes from OUA CEO Gord Grace: Fate of Ontario universities athletic seasons to be decided ‘sometime in May’

 

[AUS Fan]

On a totally unrelated note, I saw this article. I guess the TV money is too much to pass up.

The Southeastern Conference is adamant about having a football season.
On Thursday of last week, Brooks Kubena of The Advocate reported on Verge Ausberry telling the Louisiana Economic Recovery Task Force that the conference university presidents will vote on an undetermined date whether players will be able to return to campus on either June 1 or June 15.
Ausberry, LSU’s Executive Deputy Athletic Director, is also the program’s Executive Director of External Relations.
While the voting date was initially thought to be on May 22, Ausberry clarified that he misspoke.
When the outbreak of the coronavirus hit collegiate athletics in March, all spring sports and activities were cancelled. Since then, students have been relegated to online classes and virtual graduations while football coaches conducted team meetings through Zoom and other apps.
As we continue to work through the situation, it is becoming evident that the lone way to return to a sense of normalcy is to have athletics back.
Per Ausberry, June is the target month for institutional leaders to have students and student-athletes back on campus.
Should the voting be successful, there is a strong possibility for the college season to start on time and provide us with much-needed excitement.
LSU’s football coaches returned to its facilities on Monday of last week and per Kubena, the Tigers look to have its players on June 1.
Hopefully, everything turns out smooth and we can return to current sports.

 

[Rob]

The AUS usually releases their schedule around now. Will be interesting to see if they release a full schedule with an understanding that it could be amended. My guess is they will decide to wait.

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

I also feel that at the rate things are progressing with some stability in number of cases across the country, the future of sports may not be as bleak as it was a few weeks ago.

I am starting to wonder if some of those schools who have already declared the fall semester will be done primarily on-line jumped the gun a bit? I know you probably need to start preparing well in advance if that’s the route you’re going to take, but some schools were announcing this four months before students are due back on campus...a lot can happen between now and then.

 

[MiamiHockey]

I am starting to wonder if some of those schools who have already declared the fall semester will be done primarily on-line jumped the gun a bit? I know you probably need to start preparing well in advance if that’s the route you’re going to take, but some schools were announcing this four months before students are due back on campus...a lot can happen between now and then.

I don't think so.

Each university has a different business model. The schools that have declared (UBC, Alberta, Manitoba, Ottawa, Carleton, McGill, Montreal) are what we call "Commuter schools" ... the majority of their students live at home, and commute to school. Commuter schools have very few students living in residence, so for them the financial impact of having on-line classes is minimal. In fact, it may save money given reduced demands on university infrastructure.

Schools in smaller communities (e.g., Western, Queens, St FX, etc.) are going to be more hesitant to go online-only, because they depend more (financially) on having students living on-campus / close to campus. Western's President declared his intention to have regular classes in the Fall.

It's also critical to keep in mind that you have faculty who will have to prepare VERY differently for on-line versus in-person. You can't wait until the last minute to make a decision.

I, for one, would be surprised if the above Commuter universities went back to in-person classes at all next year.

Why?

Think about it this way: imagine that you're the Mayor of Edmonton (to pick a city at random), and you WANTED a virus to spread as quickly as possible through the city. What's the first thing you would open? The University of Alberta: 40,000 students, 5,000 faculty / admin, and countless other employees (e.g., cleaning staff, kitchen staff) commute to/ from the U of A each weekday from all corners of the city. Hard to imagine a faster way to spread a virus through a city than a large public university.

 

[Hollywood3]

IMO there is a risk that some schools will ask for and receive a special leave of absence this year. I don't think usports can stop a team from playing. They could deny recognition of national championship status. It's possible that only a few provinces will be allowed to play. (E.g. Saskatchewan, Manitoba, NB, PEI)

 

[timbitca]

The AUS usually releases their schedule around now. Will be interesting to see if they release a full schedule with an understanding that it could be amended. My guess is they will decide to wait.

The schedules are ready though they haven't been finalized yet (and I haven't received the winter sports schedules). The AD's and Assistant AD's are having their annual AUS meetings this week, so hopefully we should know more about which direction we are heading towards starting next week.

They better tell us something, because once the schedules come out I have quite a bit of work to do and we can't have that interfering too much with my golf schedule now can we.

I don't think so.

Each university has a different business model. The schools that have declared (UBC, Alberta, Manitoba, Ottawa, Carleton, McGill, Montreal) are what we call "Commuter schools" ... the majority of their students live at home, and commute to school. Commuter schools have very few students living in residence, so for them the financial impact of having on-line classes is minimal. In fact, it may save money given reduced demands on university infrastructure.

Schools in smaller communities (e.g., Western, Queens, St FX, etc.) are going to be more hesitant to go online-only, because they depend more (financially) on having students living on-campus / close to campus. Western's President declared his intention to have regular classes in the Fall.

It's also critical to keep in mind that you have faculty who will have to prepare VERY differently for on-line versus in-person. You can't wait until the last minute to make a decision.

I, for one, would be surprised if the above Commuter universities went back to in-person classes at all next year.

Why?

Think about it this way: imagine that you're the Mayor of Edmonton (to pick a city at random), and you WANTED a virus to spread as quickly as possible through the city. What's the first thing you would open? The University of Alberta: 40,000 students, 5,000 faculty / admin, and countless other employees (e.g., cleaning staff, kitchen staff) commute to/ from the U of A each weekday from all corners of the city. Hard to imagine a faster way to spread a virus through a city than a large public university.

I think we are not primarily a commuter school but a lot of our athletes do come from out of province (most of both hockey teams, quite a few on both soccer teams, etc...) and we do have a lot of international students also (and that's where the big money in tuition is) so going online for the first semester is a wise decision for the school but it might end up impacting on extracurricural activities.

And your last post is not one to be ignored either. Not only on the virus side but also on the community. If this quarantine/lockdown/whateveryouwannacallit has taught me one thing, is that my community is made up of a lot more idiots and uneducated people than I even wanted to imagine. There's posts daily on local facebook "news" groups about people seeing license plates from out of province (that are here for many legit reasons) and freaking out because our borders are closed. I can only imagine if they let all the out-of-province and out-of-country students back in.

 

[MiamiHockey]

I don't think usports can stop a team from playing. They could deny recognition of national championship status. It's possible that only a few provinces will be allowed to play. (E.g. Saskatchewan, Manitoba, NB, PEI)

All sports competitions have to be sanctioned by their respective governing bodies (e.g., Hockey Canada sanctions all USports hockey). Without that sanctioning, there will be no liability insurance or referees, as happened at the University Cup this year.

There is ZERO chance any Athletic Director would allow their teams to compete in unsanctioned events.