As you are well aware, the Government of Ontario has announced a provincewide shutdown effective 12:01 am on Saturday April 3rd at 12:01 am for at least four weeks in all thirty-four public health regions. All clubs must suspend their programs during this period, except for High Performance exceptions as per my email of November 22 with the subject High Performance Definition.
Earlier this morning I reached out to our contact at the Ministry to get clarification on day camps. Unfortunately, he did not have an answer until the Ontario Regulation 82/20 is filed and posted. Currently, as per the posted regulations (March 29) under Shutdown Zone | Schedule 2: Businesses that may open in shutdown zone | Day Camps 43.2 (1) Day camps for children that are operated in a manner consistent with the safety guidelines for COVID-19 for day camps produced by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
However, as per the News Release | Ontario Implements Provincewide Emergency Brake on April 1. Please note the following statements in this news release;
- Prohibiting the use of facilities for indoor or outdoor sports and recreational fitness (e.g., gyms) with very limited exceptions;
- Requiring day camps to close;
Therefore, clubs should plan on not being able to offer day camps during the provincewide shutdown period.
This is a very frustrating situation, especially for member clubs who have been closed since late November; not to mention those of you who have been bounced back and forth between the different zones of the public health measures. Issues like athlete retention, mental wellness of athletes and staff, ongoing day to day anxiety for club owners and members of Board of Director’s. I want you to know that we are continuing to advocate on your behalf in order to address some of these concerns and inconsistencies of the public health measures, along with numerous other issues that you have raised in conversations with myself or the staff.
I can only say that I feel your pain, and sympathize with your challenges. I will follow up once I have more definitive information on day camps, but I suspect the News Release is accurate and you should plan accordingly.
Take care!
Dave Sandford | Chief Executive Officer |