The fields for both the Tim Hortons Brier and Scotties Tournament of Hearts will expand in 2018 in a pilot project and curlers of all ages across Canada will now be eligible to compete in them.

Those, along with a new residency rule for elite teams, were the highlighted outcomes of Curling Canada's Annual General Meeting, which concluded Friday.

The change in format for the Tim Hortons Brier and Scotties, which will feature champions from all 14 member associations with the potential of adding other teams with pre-qualified status, will remove the pre-qualifying round at the 2018 Canadian men's and women's championships.

The current pre-qualifying system for the Tim Hortons Brier and Scotties, which was introduced this past season, will be retained for the 2016 and 2017 championships to remain consistent during the Olympic quadrennial. The new format will be introduced following the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

"As always, we listened to the input of our Member Associations and stakeholders and I think this is a format worth trying out," said Hugh Avery, who was re-elected for a one-year term with the Curling Canada Board of Governors, and also elected as board Chair for the 2015-16 season. "After the 2018 events, we will consult again with Member Associations, players and other stakeholders to see where we go with this."

Meanwhile, junior-eligible players will now be able to enter the playdowns leading to the Tim Hortons Brier and Scotties, bringing Curling Canada in line with World Curling Federation and Olympic rules.

Also, a new residency policy was adopted by Curling Canada that will allow teams to have one non-resident outside of the Member Association they choose to represent, but the other three players will be subject to stricter proof-of-residency rules that will be enforced by Curling Canada with the co-operation of the players.

"We're ready to do our part for the integrity of the game," said Mike McEwen, skip of the Canadian Team Ranking System 2014-15 top-ranked team. "We understand the thought process that went into this decision, and we know it wasn't an easy decision, but we believe it was the right one and we will do what we can to help Curling Canada and the Member Associations make it work."