Arena makes space for nursing mothers at Scotties after policy challenged

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This article was published 25/02/2016 (3810 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. – Organizers are making a little extra space at the 2016 Scotties Tournament of Hearts today, for nursing mothers in the field to use.

On Thursday, Curling Canada announced organizers are setting up a private spot at Revolution Place where competitors can breastfeed kids. The announcement came the morning after the Free Press reported on how a longstanding rule was forcing some moms competing in the Canadian curling championship to take their babies off-site.

The fix sees organizers adding a draped corner to the volunteer lounge, which is corner above the ice at Revolution Place. “We set up a quiet, private area with some chairs,” Curling Canada communications director Al Cameron said. “We just addressed their concerns, and we were glad to address their concerns.”

To be clear, there is no breastfeeding ban at Revolution Place or at the Scotties, where women are welcome to nurse in public areas.

However, a longtime Scotties event policy prohibits children from backstage areas. The rule was designed with safety in mind, in already-crowded backstage spaces that are usually bustling with curlers and officials, as well as television or event workers hauling equipment.

The blanket policy meant that mothers in the field could not bring their babies to team dressing rooms to nurse, including in the sometimes narrow time between back-to-back draws.

Instead, Scotties organizers circulated an email encouraging competing mothers to go to the Grande Prairie Curling Club, which is about a block away. One mother on the ice this week told the Free Press she had been taking her baby in a car to the parking lot between draws.

For curlers with babies here in Grande Prairie, that threw an added wrinkle into the tight time before and after draws — especially for those looking for some rest and privacy away from bustling public areas.

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Cameron said that organizers already planned to ensure that any breastfeeding mothers are accommodated at the 2016 Women’s World Curling Championships in Swift Current, Sask., and in future events.

“It’s definitely something we’re conscious of,” Cameron said. “It’s not the first time we’ve dealt with breastfeeding mothers at this event. This had already been taken care of for Swift Current. It’s on the radar for us and always is – we’ve got young athletes competing with babies, and it’s something that we’re aware of. Here it was as well, but the logistics of it didn’t work.”

Melissa Martin
Reporter-at-large

Melissa Martin reports and opines for the Winnipeg Free Press.

Every piece of reporting Melissa produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.