Enews sign up

COVID-19

COVID-19 has dramatically impacted the sport, physical activity and recreation community. The Edmonton Sport Council continues to monitor the situation. The following pages provide information and links to resources which will help your organization's return.

Update (December 24)

Effective 12:01am on December 24 - venues in the Restrictions Exemption Program will have a 50 per cent capacity limit at venues that seat more than 1,000 people. For venues with capacity of between 500 and 1,000 occupants, 500 is the limit. Also effective December 24, food and drink is not permitted within recreation centres, attractions and arenas that do not have a food service provider. In facilities with food services, food and beverages can be consumed in established areas. Water/sports drinks can be consumed in order to stay hydrated when engaged in physical activity.

 
Update (November 25)

Ski hill operators can implement the Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) for indoor areas to permit indoor dining and other indoor activities. If participating in the REP, they are not required to adhere to physical distancing requirements for enclosed chairlifts and gondolas, but indoor masking is still required for enclosed areas.

 
Update (November 17)

The Restrictions Exemption Program Implementation Grant provides a one-time payment of $2,000 for eligible small- and medium-sized businesses, cooperatives and non-profit organizations that choose to implement the Restrictions Exemption Program. Online training is available for employees of Alberta-based businesses and organizations on implementing COVID-19 safety requirements.

The Alberta Jobs Now program will provide up to $370 million to private sector businesses and non-profit organizations across all industries to reduce the costs of hiring and training unemployed or underemployed Albertans. Additional funding is available for hiring persons with disabilities. The second application intake period begins November 10. Read the November 9th press release.

 

Update (October 25)

The Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy expired on October 23, 2021. The passage of the budget implementation act provided the federal government with the authority to further extend these programs until November 20, 2021.

The government is proposing to use this authority to provide tourism, hospitality and other hard-hit organizations with support until November 20, 2021 under two new programs:

  • The Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program
  • The Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program

The government is also proposing to introduce legislation as soon as possible to extend these programs past November 20, 2021, until May 7, 2022, with authority for further amendments through regulations until July 2, 2022.

 

Update (September 17)

Starting Monday September 20, anyone using a discretionary City facility or service will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test result. Following the provincial guidelines, to access public City services and programs, people ages 12 and older must provide proof of vaccination or documentation of a medical exemption or show proof of a negative test result.

 
Update (September 16)

Alberta has declared a state of public health emergency. New measures to protect the health care system, stop the spread, and increase vaccination rates come into effect starting September 16.

 

Update (August 30)

The City of Edmonton has reactivated its Temporary Mandatory Face Covering Bylaw, effective September 3, requiring masks in all indoor public spaces and on public vehicles, such as the LRT, buses, and vehicles for hire. This applies to the publicly accessible areas of businesses, retail shops and includes City recreation facilities and attractions, transit centres and LRT platforms. Mask exemptions include when engaging in water activities or physical exercise. Effective September 4 (8:00am), the Alberta government has implemented the same measures province-wide.

 
Reopening for Business: What to think about as you plan for the transition

As governments across all levels have announced, or have already started to initiate, steps towards reopening the economy, companies are thinking about what reopening their businesses will entail. To help their clients and business partners plan for the foreseeable future, Fasken law firm has identified key areas of consideration.