Steinley: Mosaic Stadium could play host to grad ceremonies

Sweaty gowns, endless speeches and praying you won’t trip as you walk across the stage to receive your diploma — everyone remembers their graduation day.

Now, the Class of 2020 may have a chance to experience theirs, despite COVID-19 restrictions and limitations.

“It’s a day everyone remembers and I’m hoping we can make it very memorable for the Class of 2020,” Regina-Lewvan MP Warren Steinley told Gormley on Monday.

Steinley is hoping a plan can be put in place to see high school graduates receive their diplomas in person at Mosaic Stadium.

“I was at Lowe’s in the south end here in Regina,” Steinley said. “They said they have a maximum occupancy of 250 people right now. I’m thinking, ‘If you can put 250 people in a Lowe’s store, surely to goodness we can do something to have graduations.’ ”

After conversations with Regina Exhibition Association Limited CEO Tim Reid, Mayor Michael Fougere, Regina police chief Evan Bray and several Regina MLAs, Steinley said they’re going ahead with looking into the proposed alternative graduation plan.

“They’d like to see this idea flushed out to see if it’s a possibility because lots of people want to watch their kids graduate,” Steinley said.

Social distancing and sanitation measures would be implemented at the stadium to make the graduation ceremonies possible.

“Obviously we want to make it as safe as possible and ensure we’re abiding by all health guidelines and social distancing,” Steinley said.

“Families can be in the stands. If people are scared of contracting COVID, you can also watch from the car because you can put it up on the big screen at Mosaic. So grandparents can watch their grandson or granddaughter walk across the stage and receive their Grade 12 diploma from the safety of their vehicle in the parking lot.”

Steinley also said a discussion with Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer will be necessary to see if restrictions on the size of outdoor gathering sizes could be relaxed to accommodate the graduation ceremonies.

“They really want to see if they can make this happen for their students,” Steinley said. “It’s about the kids.

“The Class of 2020 has gone through a lot over the past few months. Have these kids — they’ve worked hard, they’ve persevered — walk across the stage and get their diploma in a safe manner at the venue like Mosaic Stadium.”

The timeline for the ceremonies remains flexible, Steinley said. If approved, grads could run from June through August.

“Just imagine — 20 years from now, some of these kids could be sitting at Mosaic Stadium and telling their friends that’s where they received their Grade 12 diploma,” he said.

Premier Scott Moe said during a media conference Monday afternoon he has not seen Steinley’s proposal but is not opposed to grads celebrating their milestone achievement.

“We’ve always indicated that there are ways for graduations to occur and occur safely, but there are a number of public health recommendations that we would hope that school divisions and the individual schools would be able to follow,” Moe said.