EDMONTON -- Teams skipped by Brendan Bottcher and Laura Walker and Team Brittany Tran/Aaron Sluchinski will represent the province again at the Brier, Scotties, and Mixed Doubles Canadian Curling Championships respectively.

Curling Alberta made the announcement on Monday afternoon following the cancellation of the men’s, women’s and mixed doubles provincial championships earlier this month because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It wasn’t easy in any way. There’s so many deserving athletes and teams that there really wasn’t any slam dunk in any situation,” said Curling Alberta President Steven Young.

This is the first time in Alberta’s curling history that the championships were not held to decide on the representatives.

“We, as a board, discussed all the different merits and then we put it to a vote… I can tell you it was not unanimous.”

Young said they tried to avaoid the decision bu pushing ford to host the provincial championships, which were cancelled on Jan. 8.

Kevin Koe, a four-time Brier winner who skipped Team Canada at last year's Brier, will get a wild-card spot.

“Do we think we were worth champions of Alberta? I mean of course we do,” said Ben Hebert, a member of Koe’s rink. “I think if the situation was different where we weren’t going as team wildcard, I’d probably have a little more fire you.”

Nationally, Koe’s rink is currently ranked 6th while Bottcher’s rink is ranked 4th.

“Had it been the case where they were really picking one of us and the other of us was sitting home, it would have a lot harder of a decision,” said skip Brendan Bottcher.

The Scotties will begin Feb. 19 at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary. The Brier starts March 5 in the same venue at Canada Olympic Park. Both tournaments will feature expanded fields from 16 to 18 teams.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Adam Cook and the Canadian Press.