World juniors starting to move forward after Hockey Canada shakeup, organizer says

Change at the top of Hockey Canada this week doesn't end the uncertainty surrounding the world junior men's hockey championships set to be held in Moncton and Halifax. 

The event still awaits the green light from the City of Moncton and the province, but organizers need to "start moving some things forward on the expectation that the games will go ahead," said John Wishart, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton and a member of the local organizing committee for the tournament.

The championships are supposed to start in Moncton and Halifax on Dec. 26 and run until Jan. 5.

Hockey Canada announced Tuesday its entire board of directors and CEO Scott Smith, who is originally from Bathurst, will resign.

New Brunswick still has questions

The overhaul came as the sports organization faced widespread criticism over its handling of sexual assault allegations.

Premier Blaine Higgs told reporters this week that he still had questions about what changes will be made to processes and procedures.

In a joint statement last week, Halifax Mayor Mike Savage and Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold said they look forward to "meaningful changes" from Hockey Canada so the tournament can go ahead.

In a council meeting on Tuesday, Halifax council and Savage confirmed support for the tournament.

Aloma Jardine, a spokesperson for the City of Moncton, said in an email to CBC News on Thursday that the mayor is out of the country, and "we have no additional statement beyond the joint message issued last week from the Moncton and Halifax mayors."

Jardine said planning is continuing for the event and organizers are meeting with partners. She said more concrete information will be shared as soon as it is available. 

Wishart said organizers needed to see what was happen with Hockey Canada leadership and sponsorships, but now that things are a little clearer, the focus is on "mobilizing as much local or regional [or] provincial support as we can."

May be different from past championships

"Some of those things that maybe in the past were handled by, you know, national or international bodies. The juniors may look a little bit different, but there's still a significant opportunity, and I think we can't miss that."

Wishart said the local organizing committee is relieved that Hockey Canada has taken a step toward addressing problems, but he said there's more to be done to re-establish trust. 

With only two months to prepare for the world juniors, the committee has to engage the business community and other key players to present "as good a world juniors as we can."

"In the meantime, we've got work to do, as long as the province and the city are still committed to, you know, supporting the games. We've got work to do as a community. That's the real focus of the local organizing group now."