The news every basketball player in the province has been dreading has come to pass.
The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation announced their latest round of sanctions on Monday, including the withdrawal of extracurricular services on Thursday and Friday of this week.
The Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association responded with a notice that unless the collective bargaining impasse is solved by 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Hoopla will be cancelled.
You can read the full text of their press release below, and be sure to check back for more from a student protest at City Hall taking place this afternoon.
SHSAA Press Release
With the STF job action announcement on Monday morning, the Board of Directors has determined that HOOPLA will continue if efforts between the two bargaining committees can result in sanctions being lifted before 3:00pm on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. If sanctions are not lifted, HOOPLA will be cancelled due to the lack of teacher involvement in the events and the constraints for schools and host sites in planning and preparing for the events.
The SHSAA relies heavily on the volunteer efforts of teachers across this province to provide educational athletic experiences to our students. Without Saskatchewan teachers available to participate in SHSAA activities as a coach, official, or organizer, SHSAA events cannot continue to be offered. This belief is consistent with the statements and thoughts provided by previous Board of Directors.
It will be extremely disappointing if the two sides cannot come to an arrangement that will allow the sanctions to be lifted. Approximately 750 students plus coaches, managers and other team personnel would be impacted by the cancellation as will several other organizations and entities that are involved with SHSAA and the hosting of basketball playoffs. The negative economic impact will be vast.
SHSAA playoffs are a celebration of school sport in our province and provide a showcase for student-athletes as they finish their season of play. The playoffs are one of many programs that SHSAA utilizes to achieve the goals of school sport. The critical life skills that student-athletes attain are accumulated through months of participation in a school sport program
That being said, it cannot be denied that an opportunity to participate in school sport playoffs is another means to enhance the learning opportunities of students as they develop citizenship skills in a competitive sport environment.
