Unfortunately, there are very few black and white answers, especially answers that address every Ontario Sailing member organization as each of you are unique and in unique situations. Before proceeding we suggest each club check:
- Their insurance policy - Get in writing that there are no exclusions in this situation, consider if someone is injured. Also ensure coverage for Directors and Officers' Liability with decisions you are making in regard to the current law. Consult professionals as you see fit.
- Their landlord - whether you own, lease or rent, check with the municipality, conservation area or overriding authority over your location. While this is Provincial law, some municipalities are interpreting it differently and in some cases, instituting stronger regulations.
Remember always to get official information only and in writing; there are several situations of having an answer from someone with no authority to give the answer.
We know pressure from your members and participants is extremely high and we also respect that there are many challenges ahead. There is a myriad of changes required at each of your organizations to meet the required guidelines and you must take time to consider them and make a plan for you and your team to be able to implement them before your Board of Directors commits to proceeding with any reopening activities.
We will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday, May 6th at 9:30am to review details of what we know about the government's Reopening Framework and offer suggestions for best practices to start to prepare for the required health and safety guidelines. (We have also added resources to our COVID webpage).
We know everyone has questions about the recent announcements and what it means for your individual club.
The indication we received this morning from the Ontario Essential Business hotline (see number below) was positive regarding the fit of our member clubs into the opportunity to prepare boats for being on the water. However, each organization's Board will need to determine the fit for their club and how to implement the requirements and guidelines for COVID before allowing any access.
The choices each and every one of us makes in the days ahead will absolutely define what the 2020 sailing season looks like for the entire Ontario sailing community. We encourage you to heed that thought as you make decisions for your organization as we move forward.
We need to set the tone for compliance and to follow the guidelines to be able to continue to see more opportunities for our community to open more and more in the weeks and months ahead.
Note that there are indications that fines have been levied against organizations, individuals and Directors who are not following guidelines. If you need specific clarity on any steps that your organization is considering, one step you might take (in addition to, for example, those mentioned above) is to call the government essential business hotline 1-888-444-3659 directly. The website for Ontario business information is
https://www.ontario.ca/page/list-essential-workplaces
.
We look forward to having your club represented on this important webinar on Wednesday, May 6th at 9:30am.
Registration for Webinar:
Anyone who has participated in one of our previous recent COVID webinars will automatically be sent the login information during the evening of Tuesday, May 5th (no need to re-register).
If you have not participated in one of the previous COVID webinars, please indicate your interest in attending by emailing your name and your club name to Lisa Roddie, COAST Manager at
lisa@ontariosailing.ca.
As with previous COVID webinars, please discuss attendance with your leadership group and limit your club representatives to 2 people who can then share the information with others.
