Training camp continues with labour thaw

Tentative agreement reached

Brendon LaBatte went from Saturday’s mock game at the University of Saskatchewan’s Griffiths Stadium to the real business of football.

The Saskat chewan Roughriders’ representative on the CFL Players’ Association was part of a four-hour conference call that ultimately led to the end of the labour impasse with the CFL.

The CFL and CFLPA confirmed late Saturday that they had reached a new collective bargaining agreement, pending ratification by the league’s board of governors and the players.

The CFLPA is reportedly sorting out the logistics of staging the vote. The CFL said in the media release that the vote will take place as soon as possible.

The tentative deal means the CFL’s pre-season is to kick off Monday as scheduled in Winnipeg with the Blue Bombers playing host to the Toronto Argonauts.

The Riders are to continue with their training camp in Saskatoon. The players could have been in a position to strike on Wednesday.

It’s also expected that the Riders will open their preseason schedule on Saturday when the Ottawa Redblacks visit Mosaic Stadium.

The CFL and CFLPA both stated that details of the new CBA won’t be released until the deal has been ratified. The CFL and CFLPA reportedly reached an agreement after two days of talks with the assistance of a mediator.

LaBatte explained recently that having a mediator was a key to the two sides reaching a tentative agreement.

“The mediator has been the only thing that has helped us get the process started,” LaBatte said. “Up until we had the mediator in place, we weren’t privy to any of the financial figures. The mediator has helped out on the players side a lot.”

The Riders were off on Sunday and were unavailable for comment. There won’t be any media availability until after Monday morning’s practice at the SaskTel Sports Centre.