Ottawa Redblacks cancel practice due to poor air quality

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

The Ottawa Redblacks have cancelled their practice on Tuesday due to air quality issues, which stem from ongoing area wildfires. The team will instead hold a short walkthrough indoors at the Aberdeen Pavilion at 12:00 p.m. EDT.

In 2019, the CFL and the CFL Players’ Association (CFLPA) agreed that players should not practice or play outdoors if the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is seven or higher. As of Tuesday morning, the AQHI in Ottawa was ten. It is expected to drop to seven on Wednesday.

The Redblacks were initially scheduled to practice on Tuesday from 11:50 a.m. to 1:50 p.m. EDT. They remain scheduled to practice on Wednesday and Thursday before a walkthrough on Friday.

Ottawa is set to visit the Montreal Alouettes this week for their first game of the regular season. Kickoff is slated for Percival Molson Stadium at 7:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 10. It remains unclear who will start for the Redblacks at quarterback.

The Edmonton Elks and Calgary Stampeders were affected by poor air quality at times during training camp due to smoke from area wildfires, which resulted in them cancelling or moving practice to an indoor location.