Coronavirus (COVID-19) and your Golf Business | Statement from We Are Golf About COVID-19

SUCCESS in ONTARIO

Clarification on Turf & Maintenance Team Members

NGCOA Canada now has received written confirmation from the Ontario Government clarifying the list of essential workplaces and how that relates directly to your turf & maintenance team members. The Government has confirmed that turf maintenance teams are able to maintain their properties over the next 14 days.

All work on the grounds that staff are doing must be justified as essential property maintenance to preserve, protect and prevent damage to the property AND all precautionary measures MUST be in place during this critical time; including social distancing, hand washing, workspace cleaning, etc. It was noted that it is imperative to only have staff doing what is essential for the golf course property (for instance removal of tarps off greens, necessary turf cutting, etc.).

Section 1 (2) of the Order in Council that was signed by the Lieutenant Governor confirms:

1(2) Despite subsection (1), temporary access to a closed place of business that is not listed in Schedule 2 is authorized, unless otherwise prohibited by any applicable law, for the purposes of,

(a) performing work at the place of business in order to comply with any applicable law;

(b) allowing for inspections, maintenance and repairs to be carried out at the place of business;

and

(d) attending at the place of business temporarily,

(i) to deal with other critical matters relating to the closure of the place

of business, if the critical matters cannot be attended to remotely; or

(ii) to access materials, goods or supplies that may be necessary for the business to be operated remotely.

Your Association continues to monitor this fluid situation and will continue to keep you apprised of the latest developments.

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions.

Shawn Hunter

Southwestern Ontario

866-626-4262 ext. 44

Blair Breen

Central Ontario

866-626-4262 ext. 49

Greg Chambers

Eastern Ontario/Outaouais

866-626-4262 ext. 45

Statement from We Are Golf About COVID-19

We Are Golf (The National Allied Golf Associations/NAGA) are committed to ensuring the health and safety of our members, golfers, staff, volunteers and industry stakeholders as well as every Canadian in the communities where we live, work and play.

The COVID-19 crisis is an unprecedented and difficult time for Canadians. We Are Golf fully supports the recommendations and guidelines of Health Canada, the World Health Organization and regional public health experts to stop the community spread of the virus. As leaders in an industry that employs more than 300,000 Canadians and includes nearly six million golfers from coast to coast, our priority above all else is the health and safety of our people and our communities.

Where governments have not mandated the temporary closure of golf courses, operators of those facilities should take every health and safety precaution. We Are Golf also advocates for the essential need for golf course property maintenance during any of the temporary closures to be ready for operation while taking every health and safety precaution.

We look forward to better and healthier days and when the time is right for Canadians to return to recreational normalcy, clubs and courses will be ready to welcome golfers back to the tee.