Calgary wheelchair hockey players stuck in London, Ont., after WestJet strike say stresses are mounting
The 20 players, volunteers and team officials arrived in London on Thursday for a Canadian Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association tournament at Fanshawe College, which has been providing accommodations for them to stay in the city. Half of the group had their WestJet flight from London rescheduled for 8 p.m. on Wednesday and the remainder booked a flight with the airline out of Toronto for 9:50 a.m. ET. The costs include flights, a $2,000 accessible bus ride to transport players from London to Toronto, plus an overnight stay in the city, Petruska said.
WestJet kiosks sat empty on Tuesday afternoon at the London, Ont., airport. More than 100,000 passengers across the country were impacted due to a surprise mechanics' strike over the Canada Day long weekend. Selects goaltender Ishan Manerikar, 23, says he's running low on important medication and missing doses can result in serious muscular issues. Behind him on the far left are Tracy Petruska and her husband, who are scrambling to rebook their flights.