Over the last couple of days, we have received many inquiries relating to the air quality that has resulted from the wildfire smoke. EMSA would like to thank all of you for your patience with respect to this issue. We know that it causes concern when there is uncertainty about whether a game is going to be played and that concern is compounded if there is travel involved. Rest assured that EMSA is monitoring this situation hourly and will provide decisions as soon as possible.
Decisions on game cancellations will be made on a day-by-day basis because we do not wish to cancel if we do not have to but our primary concern will always be the health and safety of our participants and their families. Our District covers a large geographical area and encompasses five (5) Public Health units and this means that as the smoke begins to move out, one area may have an air quality that is safe to play in, while another area in our District remains unsafe. In such cases, decisions will be adjusted accordingly. Our decision will not just be based on one location and we have been reviewing air quality data across the areas of our District over the past two days.
In addition, regional/provincial leagues will not necessarily be updated on what the weather is expected to be in every area. This is up to local Districts to communicate with their members. If you are scheduled to play a game in another District and are not sure if the game is cancelled, we ask that you contact your opponent to ask if the game is still on. If you are the home team in a match that has been cancelled and your opponent is outside of the EMSA District, we ask that you advise your opponent of the cancellation.
Thank you once again for your patience as we navigate this difficult situation together.
The EMSA Executive