Quick policy change gives mothers competing at Scotties a space to breastfeed

The women competing at the 2016 Scotties Tournament of Hearts have unfortunately been reminded of a controversy that continues to permeate many walks of life. And yet, the mothers curling in the tournament were probably just as shocked as we were that the issue of breastfeeding in public had made headlines at Canada's curling championship.

Earlier in the week, we learned that several curlers had been denied permission to breastfeed their children in the dressing rooms at Revolution Place, the Winnipeg Free Press reported. As Curling Canada's policy states, children are banned from backstage areas – the dressing rooms at the Grand Prairie, Alta., venue falling within that realm.

The curlers, however, are permited to breastfeed in public areas. “Absolutely,” Jane Cada-Sharp, general manager of Revolution Place, told Sean Fitz-Gerald of the Toronto Star. “We’ve had other patrons who have brought in infants, and they’re sitting on the benches and they’re nursing.”

A curler competing in the tournament, however, is not simply a patron, and the desire for a little bit of privacy is quite easy to understand. Such a request is what reportedly prompted one particular curler to breastfeed in her car parked outside.

Just a few hours after getting wind of this, Scotties officials moved quickly to set up a private space for curlers to breastfeed – a draped-off section of the volunteer's lounge, Fitz-Gerald reported.

"We’re going to set up some comfy chairs and make sure a family member has access, if they need it,” Al Cameron, director of communications for Curling Canada, shared with the Star. “There’s security at the door, so it’s away from the public.”

This is relatively uncharted territory for the governing bodies of Canadian curling. “It’s never been an issue, that I can think of," Cameron told the Star. “This is kind of a one-off."

And there's a strong effort underway to ensure it remains just that, a one-off. As Cameron notes, provisions are in the works to ensure such an issue does not pop up at next month's World Championships in Swift Current, Sask.