The B.C. government has launched a pre-emptive strike against a lawsuit calling for junior hockey players to be paid minimum wage.
The class-action lawsuit was filed in Alberta and Toronto and has yet to be certified, but if it goes ahead the plaintiffs will be in for a fight.
Currently the players just get a few hundreds dollars a month as a stipend for travel and training but the suit calls for teams to pay a minimum wage.
But before the puck drops in court, the province has passed a cabinet order exempting the Western Hockey League from Employment Standards Act entirely.
The league is often the last stop before the majors for young players.
Former WHL player Tyler Bouck, who went on to a pro career, said money was a non-issue during his time in the league.
"That's all you wanted to do is play in the Western Hockey League and I never really thought about money or the business aspect, it was all about playing the game," he said.
While teams like the Kelowna Rockets are profitable and could probably afford to pay players minimum wage, sources tell CTV that other teams absolutely could not – meaning a possible death blow to a much-loved league.
"If you were to add minimum wage to the cost of our operating expenses for the players, which is extensive and to the operating costs of our teams it would not make our businesses viable in those centres," said WHL Commissioner Ron Robinson.
