New BrunswickThe 2025 Canada Summer Games have entered the second week of competition in St. John’s, and Team New Brunswick members are thinking of their loved ones back home.’We’ve just kind of pivoted and shifted,’ says Team N.B. chef de missionLaura Flight · CBC · Posted: Aug 18, 2025 4:25 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 18Nicole Smith, chef de mission for Team New Brunswick, says they are very proud of how the athletes are performing so far in the 2025 Canada Summer Games. (CBC NB )The 2025 Canada Summer Games have entered the second week of competition in St. John’s, and Team New Brunswick members are thinking of their loved ones back home.Athletes and their supporters have been “in a bubble” at the games, but spokesperson Nicole Smith said they are still thinking about the wildfire situation back home in New Brunswick as well as the wildfires that continue to burn in Newfoundland. “I know there are wildfires happening at home now as well,” Smith said. “So, we’re certainly making sure everybody’s being taken care of.” Smith and other volunteers for the games arrived two and a weeks ago in Newfoundland, where fires have been burning since Aug. 11. WATCH | Parents and other supporters of athletes encounter Air Canada troubles: Wildfires moving some Canada Games events aroundN.B. athletes are competing in a Canada Games year marked by wildfires and an Air Canada strike. Fortunately, the smoke from the wildfires on Newfoundland’s east coast are not affecting the air quality for the athletes as much as was feared. “People think we’re living in this cloud of smoke, but for the most part we haven’t seen it,” Smith said. The smoke was visible from some venues, but the athletes are largely unaffected by it, she said.Four different events had to be rescheduled or relocated because of evacuations in Conception Bay North and parts of Paradise. Men’s soccer was relocated from to a venue in St. John’s. Women’s box lacrosse was moved, but then resumed in Paradise as planned. And both beach volleyball and sailing were postponed by two days. “There’s been an impact,” Smith said. “But we’ve just kind of pivoted and shifted, readjusted and worked with communities and emergency measures.” In addition to the complications from wildfires, the Air Canada labour dispute has made it challenging for some people to get to the province.Smith said that since Team New Brunswick has been travelling with a charter plane, the athletes are affected by the strike. However, some supporters and families of Team New Brunswick have found it difficult to get home again.Bringing home the bronze Despite these challenges, Team New Brunswick members have been soaking up the experience, besting their own personal records, and winning medals. “We are really happy with our athletes, we’re proud of them,” said Smith.Team New Brunswick athlete Itzael Gaudet of Moncton is competing in two sports, swimming and volleyball. (Itzael Gaudet)In the first week of competitions, Molly Flynn won a silver and bronze in cycling, and Zachary Newman won a bronze in swimming. Smith said that in some sports, the athletes might not be making the podium, but they are improving on past performances. Even with wildfires, extremely hot and dry conditions, and Air Canada strikes, Smith said, the athletes are making the most of their Canada Summer Games experience. “The athletes were out and about a lot, trading pins and doing all those things that are a big part of games and a great opportunity for them to meet others,” she said.When they weren’t competing themselves, they were “out cheering their own teammates.”The second week of the games will see athletes compete in artistic swimming, wrestling, golf, mountain biking, athletics, and, for the first time at a Canada Games, women’s baseball. ABOUT THE AUTHORLaura Flight is a reporter at CBC New Brunswick in Fredericton. You can reach her at laura.flight@cbc.ca.
Team N.B. thinking of wildfires back home and near the games
