N.L. changing labour laws to accommodate potential return of high-level hockey

In another sign that the ground is being prepped for a return of elite-level hockey to Newfoundland and Labrador, the provincial government is amending Labour Standards Act regulations in order to fall in line with other provinces, in the wake of a class-action lawsuit involving major junior hockey in Canada.

And the man at the centre of all the hockey-related chatter, longtime executive Glenn Stanford, is breaking his silence and acknowledging that he's working tirelessly to bring a team — though he won't be specific — to St. John's.

"Our preference is whatever we can get," Stanford told CBC News during a telephone interview on Thursday.

The hockey scene was upended last spring when the Newfoundland Growlers' membership in the ECHL — a minor professional hockey league with teams across the United States and Canada — was terminated. The Growlers were the anchor tenant at the Mary Brown's Centre in downtown St. John's since the 2018-19 season, and won the league championship in their inaugural year.

It was just the latest exit of a team from St. John's, beginning with the departure of the AHL's Maple Leafs in 2005, and had many questioning whether a city on the east coast of an island in the North Atlantic was able to support a franchise that relied on competition from outside the province.

Rumour mill running unchecked

But for months, the goal-mouth gossip has been alive with rumours about the fate of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

The Q, as it's known, is one of three major junior leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. It has 18 teams in Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

The Titan are based out of the K.C. Irving Regional Centre in Bathurst, N.B., but the team is a money-losing franchise with average attendance that is among the lowest in the league.

Looking at all options

The Titan have been up for sale since January, and hockey insiders have widely speculated that a group led by Stanford is in talks to buy the team and relocate it to St. John's.

So are those reports accurate?

"I'm not going to get into that," Stanford replied. "We're looking at all options."

A spokesperson for the QMJHL, Raphaël Doucet, said the league will not be commenting on any sale because it does not want to interfere with the process.

But Stanford offered some revealing insight into what he's been up to in recent months.

Stanford said he was hired last spring on a short-term contract by St. John's Sports and Entertainment, the city-owned entity that operates the Mary's Brown's Centre, to investigate options for elite-level hockey at the facility.

He delivered a report to SJSE brass a few months ago, but would not reveal his findings.

"I've given options to SJSE. Let's see what happens," said Stanford.

The CEO at SJSE, Brent Meade, directed questions about the future of hockey at the Mary Brown's Centre to Stanford.

Next season is the target for a new team

When asked whether there's a possibility of a new team at Mary Brown's Centre next season, Stanford said "that's the intent."

Stanford confirmed he's part of a group trying to secure a team, but would not reveal the names of his partners.

Greg Roberts, the Triton-based owner of the Mary Brown's restaurant chain, and who owns the naming rights of the arena, did not return calls from CBC News. 

At least four teams competing in various leagues have come and gone from St. John's over the past three decades, including the St. John's Fog Devils of the QMJHL from 2005-08. 

Logistical challenges have often been blamed for the failures because of hefty travel costs, and city leaders have opened the public treasury to subsidize teams in the past.

So what makes Stanford think this latest attempt can work?

"Because I think the past 32 years have shown it's been supported," he said.

Class-action lawsuit and labour laws

Meanwhile, last week's edition of the Newfoundland and Labrador Gazette — a government publication containing public notices and changes to regulations — includes a reference to labour standards legislation and major junior hockey. The change, approved by the provincial cabinet, essentially exempts QMJHL players from the employer-employee relationship.

Provinces throughout the country have amended their labour laws in the wake of a $30-million class-action lawsuit settlement pending against the Canadian Hockey League over the employment status of players. 

The lawsuit was initiated by players who argued the CHL should have been paying them a minimum wage and other benefits because they were essentially acting as employees of the teams.

The CHL argued that the players were not employees, and described the relationship as one of guidance and development rather than employment.

"One of the things needed was a change in regulatory language to be in line with elsewhere," said Stanford. "If junior is to be considered, that had to be done."

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