After seven CFL teams have announced proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test would be required for entry into their stadiums, the President and CEO of the Regina Exhibition Association Limited says talks are still ongoing with the provincial government and the Saskatchewan Roughriders on whether or not the same rules should apply to the Evraz Place campus.
Tim Reid says REAL has a plan ready to go once proof of vaccination is implemented.
“I don’t want to minimize the logistics of that are challenging just because we don’t necessarily have the forward-facing customer infrastructure to respond to it,” Reid said. “It’s not like our vaccination cards have the proper scan codes on them or the QR codes — that being said, I know the system allows it — so we’ve been working closely with the province (and) obviously we work weekly and daily with the Riders.”
Reid says if and when vaccines become mandated, the event security becomes a crucial part of operating a safe event.
“Our role is because we administer all security and all gates, we actually become a pretty integral part of the scanning process and the validation process,” Reid said. “Whether it’s the Riders, the Pats, or a concert here on campus, we would either work with contracted security or we would administer it ourselves to make sure that the ticket’s scanned and the ticket holder have the proper vaccination credentials.”
Live Nation Canada has already announced proof of vaccination will be required for their events starting Oct. 4, something that may come into play at both Mosaic Stadium and Evraz Place.
Reid responds to bear spray incident at QCX
Tim Reid also expressed his apologies for the bear spray incident that took place Saturday at the Queen City Ex that left 64 people suffering the effects of bear spray exposure.
Reid says when the QCX reopens on Wednesday, random wanding and metal detection will be taking place at the gates to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again.
Reid says all 64 people were treated on the site, and no one needed hospital treatment.
“The reality of it is, is this is an awful and it’s a saddening experience. The reality of it is, is it’s not what we want anytime somebody comes to our campus,” Reid said. “We always talk about being involved in moments and memories, and I was there firsthand when we were dealing with people who were having a terrible moment on our campus.
“It’s also a very valuable reminder of why we have the security processes that we do.”
Reid says the security risk assessment before the event indicated checked bags and a limited amount of items people could bring in would be sufficient, but they will still increase security.
“We’ll ask people to give us a little bit more time and extend their patience because this is all around public safety,” Reid said. “At the end of the day, it’s probably a valuable reminder for us — as well as patrons — that our job is to make sure that these experiences are as safe as possible, and we all have a role to play in ensuring their safety.”
Two teens are facing a total of seven charges in connection to the incident.
