By Canadian Press

Alberta premier not ready to give green light for Oilers fans to enter arena

May 19, 2021 | 10:26 AM

EDMONTON — Alberta’s premier is not ready to follow Quebec’s lead in allowing hockey fans to attend NHL playoff games.

Jason Kenney says Alberta currently has much higher COVID-19 numbers than Quebec.

In a Facebook live session last night, Kenney was told of Quebec’s decision to allow fans to return to indoor stadiums in limited numbers.

If the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs play a Game 6 of their first-round series on May 29 at the Bell Centre, about 2,500 fans will be allowed in the building.

Kenney is making no such promises for Edmonton Oilers fans.

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The team is scheduled to open the Canadian portion of the playoffs against the Winnipeg Jets tonight in Edmonton.

The Jets and the Leafs, the other two Canadian teams in the playoffs, have not said if they will allow any fans into their arenas. All American playoff games so far have had fans.

Kenney says Alberta’s per capita hospitalization rate from COVID-19 is three times higher than Quebec, its per capita ICU rate is four times higher and the number of cases in the last seven days is also four times higher.

He says tougher public health rules in Quebec helped bring numbers down, adding they are “measures that we would never introduce in Alberta.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 19, 2021.

The Canadian Press