Nearly 60,000 sports fans will have a busy day Saturday, not only in stadiums and arenas, but especially getting there and back, as no public transportation will be available due to the strike by bus drivers and subway operators.

The Montreal Police Service (SPVM) has already confirmed that additional personnel will be deployed to manage traffic, particularly around Molson Stadium and the Bell Centre, but also elsewhere, as there will be four major events taking place on the same day.

Football: two semi-finals

The first will take place at noon at CEPSUM (Centre d’éducation physique et des sports de l’Université de Montréal), where the Carabins will host the Concordia University Stingers in the provincial university football semi-final. If the CEPSUM stadium is full, there will be around 5,000 spectators.

Then, at 2:00 p.m., on the other side of the mountain at Molson Stadium, the Alouettes will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the Canadian Football League (CFL) Eastern Conference semifinal, which means no fewer than 23,000 fans in the stands. This game, which was originally scheduled for 3:00 p.m., was moved up an hour at the request of the CFL due to the possibility of a seventh game in the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Hockey: always a crowd

Then, at 3:00 p.m., the Laval Rocket takes on the Rochester Americans at Place Bell. Although located in Laval, this arena is usually accessible by metro. We can therefore expect the bridges connecting Montreal to Laval to be very busy. The Rocket confirmed on Friday that more than 9,000 tickets had been sold, while Place Bell has a capacity of just over 10,000.

Finally, in the evening, crowds are expected at the Bell Centre, which can accommodate more than 21,000 fans, for the Canadiens’ game against the Ottawa Senators.

Taxi, Bixi, and… walking

The Canadiens issued a press release reminding fans that there are numerous parking lots near the Bell Centre and that both the commuter train and the REM stop at stations not far from the team’s home. They also pointed out that there are several Bixi stations in the area. Fortunately, no rain is forecast, but it won’t be warm.

The situation at Molson Stadium is more complicated. The Alouettes normally offer a free shuttle bus service to the stadium, but since these buses are operated by the Société de transport de Montréal, this service will not be available. Here too, the REM is recommended for those coming from the South Shore. However, fans should be prepared for a walk of about 25 minutes. Teo Taxi, a commercial partner of the Alouettes, will also offer discounts for trips to and from Molson Stadium, and a larger number of cars have been scheduled.

The Rocket plans to send a warning message to ticket holders to encourage them to arrive early and to expect heavy traffic around the venue.

CEPSUM: a difficult situation

Finally, on the Carabins side, the University of Montreal will open the Louis-Colin parking lot and allow free parking for ticket holders. But Manon Simard, Executive Director of CEPSUM and the Montreal Carabins, does not hide her dismay at the situation. “For us, this has a major impact because an event like a football game involves 180 people working on the event. It also involves managing security and traffic. We are in an area where there are three hospitals, so there are obstacles everywhere. There is little parking, so learning this with 36 hours’ notice, I must admit, complicates the management of the situation,” Simard said.

He points out that beyond the football game, CEPSUM is at full capacity on Saturdays. “We have between 1,500 and 2,000 people coming to the pool, including children and members. We have interfaculty tournaments with 400 to 500 students and hockey leagues with 400 players,” explains Simard.

However, most CEPSUM activities will be canceled because too many staff members will be unable to attend. Only the weight room and a few corridors of the pool will be open, which deeply disappoints Simard, who points out that CEPSUM is the largest employer of students on campus. “I have students who have called me to ask me to find them other hours this week. Some people have rent to pay, and we are an employer of students. These young people are in the middle of the semester and need to work to pay their rent. They can’t lose four, five, six, seven, or eight hours of work. So now we’re trying to figure out how to add them back in. We have to reorganize everything.”

—This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews