TD Place to require fans show proof of vaccination, or negative test

People attending ticketed events at the TD Place stadium and arena in Ottawa will have to follow COVID-19 vaccine rules starting next month.

The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), which manages Lansdowne Park, announced two policies on Monday.

All ticketed events except for Ottawa 67's games will require people age 12 and older to either show proof they're fully vaccinated with a Health Canada-approved shot against COVID-19, or have proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of the event.

Ottawa 67's fans 12 and older will have to show proof they are fully vaccinated, as per league rules.

Children who are not yet eligible for a COVID vaccine will have to answer health screening questions. Staff must be either fully vaccinated or test negative when they arrive for their shift.

OSEG said in the absence of a government-approved vaccine passport, it's still figuring out how people can show proof of vaccination.

1st game under new policy on Sept. 22

Both policies begin Sept. 12, but there are still two Ottawa Redblacks home games and four Atlético Ottawa home games currently scheduled before that date.

Mark Goudie, president and CEO of OSEG, said they are waiting until mid-September so the organization can determine how to enforce the new rules.

"We have a whole lot of logistics to solve for, in terms of how we get to that first game, and how we're going to be able to [check] verification of testing or vaccinations," he said.

"We [have] got some work to do to get us even to that mid-September date."

The first event on the schedule under the policy is the Redblacks game against Hamilton on Sept. 22.

Goudie said no indoor events are scheduled until mid-September. 

The Ottawa 67's season begins in October, and the next non-sports ticketed event listed on TD Place's website is its Halloween partnership with Saunders Farm, The Sawmill, which starts Oct. 8.

OSEG said the policy was necessary due to "lower than anticipated" vaccination rates and the more infectious delta variant.

Masks are still required except when eating or drinking.

Many vaccine policies have been announced this month, including Quebec's vaccine passport starting Sept. 1, as well as Ontario requiring many settings to come up with their own policies, and teams like the Toronto Blue Jays announcing vaccine rules on Monday.