Proposed changes to the Tim Hortons Brier format are drawing a range of reactions from curling skips across the North.

The Canadian Curling Association (CCA) will implement changes for next year's national men's curling championship that will see four teams compete in a pre-Brier relegation round.

Just one of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Yukon and Nunavut will qualify for the main draw.

The four jurisdictions in the relegation round are based on the teams' records over the last three years.

The Scotties Tournament of Hearts will also host a pre-tournament playdowns next year, with Northern Ontario, Nunavut, N.W.T. and Yukon competing.

The CCA implemented the changes to provide equal access to all provinces and territories to the national championships.

The changes were enough for Charlottetown, P.E.I., curler Connor MacPhee to start an online petition, which has garnered more than 1,800 signatures from supporters in three days. Now, curlers are beginning to speak out.

Yellowknife skip Jamie Koe, who won the YT/N.W.T. Brier playdowns and went to finish 3-8 at the event, said he's not opposed to the changes.

"I'm not too sure why they did it,” Koe said this morning from Yellowknife. "I don't think the Brier was broken and I don't know what they were looking to fix, other than adding a Team Canada. I agree with the Team Canada aspect, because they need a team that they can market for the event.”

Koe's older brother Kevin will lead the inaugural Team Canada entry at next year's Brier, after the Alberta skip won this year's event in Kamloops.

As for a tri-territory Brier playoff some are suggesting as an alternate to the relegation round, Jamie Koe is not interested.

"We pay a lot of money just to come over to Whitehorse,” he said, citing travel expenses over $8,000.

"Now under this new format, if you're in the relegation round, you would play within your territory and then the CCA would foot the bill to fly you to wherever the Brier is. If you think about it, you're saving a bit of money.”

The loss of pre-championship competition is what will hurt, Koe said.

"The thing that I think is really going to hurt the northern curlers is the competitive games,” he explained. "We don't get enough competitive games as it is, and if we're only playing five or six games in the N.W.T. and we don't have to battle the Yukon in six tough games, we're not going to be as prepared for the Brier as we normally would be.”

Yukon Curling Association president Ellen Johnson said the format changes haven't been welcome news to curlers in the territory.

"It has a huge impact on us, and it's not what we wanted,” she said. "We would have preferred to have seen an inclusive pool system, the way the juniors is done.

"The real disadvantage is that we are in the relegation round in both the Scotties and the Brier,” Johnson added. "If you get out of that, you still have to make sure that you're high enough up that you're not back in it again the next year.”

Yukon curler Pat Molloy said while he is not opposed to a pre-tournament relegation round, he would prefer it be conducted in a manner similar to the national junior championships.

The junior system sees the tournament begin with two pools. Then midway through the tournament, teams are split into a championship pool and seeding pool, according to team records.

"To me, the relegation system is a better system than what we have now,” he said. "All the jurisdictions get included now, but I believe the junior relegation system is much better than what they use for the seniors and the Brier.”

Molloy, who competed at the 2004 Brier, said having a relegation round causes headaches for families and fans hoping to make travel plans in order to cheer on teams.