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Giesbrecht says she had to tell the event organizer she will have to cancel unless another arrangement can be worked out. (Flu shot rule could cancel youth choir's concert at seniors' home - CBC new Dec.1 2014)

I am wondering if I could replace 'will have to' with 'would have to' and "can' with "could' without changing its intended meaning? Thank you.

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To replace the present forms will and can with the past forms would and could might change the meaning.

The past form had (had to tell) indicates that the choir director's conversation with the event organizer took place at some time before she spoke to the press.

The present forms, with the present form says, indicate that at the time of writing any cancellation or alternative arrangement lay in the future: the event had not yet been cancelled.

The past forms would and could would not exclude this reading; but they would also accommodate a situation in which cancellation or rescheduling did take place, after the conversation took place but before the director spoke to the press and the story was written.

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