Photo by Vince Fedoroff
RESTRICTIONS TIGHTENING 鈥 A Proof of Vaccination notice is displayed on the entrance to the Canada Games Centre in Whitehorse today. Recent restrictions limiting two households up to a maximum of 10 people are having an adverse effect on sporting events in the territory.
Yukon sports organizations are seeking clarification on the COVID-19 restrictions announced last Friday evening by the Yukon government and Dr. Catherine Elliott, the acting chief medical officer of health.
Revised - Yukon sports organizations are seeking clarification on the COVID-19 restrictions announced last Friday evening by the Yukon government and Dr. Catherine Elliott, the acting chief medical officer of health.
According to their press release, the new 鈥渢emporary鈥 measures include 鈥渓imiting all private and public gatherings to two households up to a maximum of 10 people, including recreational team sports; group fitness; group recreation and leisure activities.鈥
This, of course, severely limits what types of sporting activities can take place in the Yukon.
Elliott and the government had previously announced restrictions, including prohibiting games between teams, on Jan. 8.
According to Sport Yukon executive director Tracey Bilsky, at least 15 groups reached out to Sport Yukon on鈥圡onday for help interpreting the new COVID restrictions.
鈥淯ntil they get clarification ... groups have been making decisions based on their interpretation,鈥 Bilsky told the Star Tuesday.
鈥淪ome of them are interpreting the wording differently than others. At this point, some of them are just going to hold off until they find out.
鈥淢inor Soccer cancelled their whole week because there鈥檚 so many parents, they needed to send out at least some kind of blanket statement until they can figure out what the order is going to be.
鈥淐larity and simplification 鈥 it鈥檚 really crucial right now, because these groups are exhausted,鈥 Bilsky noted. 鈥淭hey really want to make things work.
鈥淭hey know how important this is, especially for kids and their mental health and their ability to look forward.鈥
Bilsky explained why she thinks there鈥檚 so much confusion right now.
鈥淚 think because the language was a bit ambiguous. They鈥檝e never brought households into sport before, so when you鈥檙e talking about team sport, and then you integrate households 鈥 I can鈥檛 think of one situation where that would work,鈥 she said.
鈥淪o there were volunteers that were questioning what they were reading 鈥 there is also confusion over recreational sport and organized sport. Because in the past, the term 鈥榦rganized鈥 has been used before, so some groups thought, 鈥榳e are an organized sport, so we must still be on the 50 per cent capacity rules, so we鈥檒l continue to operate.鈥
鈥淭here just wasn鈥檛 enough information on Friday and no avenue for clarification over the weekend, which made it really difficult because a lot of organized sport for youth happens on the weekends.
鈥淧utting it out on a Friday evening and then not having anywhere where people can gain that clarification 鈥 it created so many challenges and so much stress,鈥 added Bilsky.
鈥淕ive the volunteers boards enough information so they can make quick decisions, because they really are having to respond to so many people.鈥
Seventy-eight volunteer-run sports organizations under Sport Yukon represent 15,000 to 20,000 people in the Yukon 鈥 nearly half the territory鈥檚 population.
鈥淭here were parents calling as well, saying, 鈥榠f they鈥檙e allowed to go to school, why aren鈥檛 they allowed to hang out with those same kids after school?鈥 We don鈥檛 make that legislation. We can鈥檛 answer those types of questions,鈥 related Bilsky.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a legitimate question. Why can鈥檛 a curling team not be able to prepare for the Scotties, but they can go out for dinner after and sit at the same table?
鈥淪o that鈥檚 when people鈥檚 logic kicks in and they just can鈥檛 make sense of it. So hopefully today, we鈥檒l get more answers to these questions.鈥
The Whitehorse Women鈥檚 Hockey Association (WWHA) has called it quits for this season due to the latest round of restrictions. 鈥淥ur season typically ends before Spring Break and it was thought that it was unlikely we would be playing again before then. The safety of our players and their families is paramount and the main reason we made this decision,鈥 stated the WWHA board.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 really disappointing. That鈥檚 such a vibrant organization, and I think they just got to a point where they thought it鈥檚 just not working for them anymore,鈥 Bilsky said.
鈥淎nd I worry that at this point, there have been so many adjustments, so many refunds, so many conversations that there are going to be groups that just throw their hands up, with the decision that might come down today and just say they鈥檙e done for the year. And that would be really hard.鈥
Needless to say, Sport Yukon isn鈥檛 too happy about the way Elliott and the government have handled this situation.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e adjusting on the fly too, but in this one situation, this could have been done a lot better,鈥 Bilsky said.
鈥淚 think that when you鈥檙e going to make an announcement as significant as that, and if it鈥檚 that important that it needs to go out on Friday ... then a press conference of some type needs to be held. Where members of the public can feed their questions through the media and get some answers.
鈥淪o it just doesn鈥檛 create the schmozzle that it did, over the weekend and including all day yesterday when we weren鈥檛 getting answers. I still haven鈥檛 had any response from anybody.鈥
Bilsky said she鈥檇 like to see a key change in how YG handles its communications.
鈥淲hat I鈥檇 like is for an actual clear phone number 鈥 person for these organizations to speak to, because they鈥檙e so different, they鈥檙e so varied in what they offer.鈥
Bilsky said she鈥檚 worried about the impact COVID restrictions are having on sport in the Yukon.
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 the problem, is that I really do see 鈥 athletes are losing their steam, coaches are getting out of their sport; they can handle it for a while, but this will be a blow, and I think with the uncertainty of Omicron 鈥 if groups don鈥檛 know if they鈥檙e going to be able to come back in February, or if it鈥檚 going to be March, then I do worry about this whole generation of kids.
鈥淎t this point, everyone has to do the best we can with COVID - we understand that. We know sport doesn鈥檛 trump a lot of things when it comes to health, but the mental health of our community is suffering, so right now, we just need clarity and we need compassion and we need answers.鈥
Premier Sandy Silver and Elliott held a press conference Tuesday to update the COVID-19 situation in the Yukon.
When asked about the confusion regarding the latest restrictions, Dr. Elliot responded by admitting that there鈥檚 been a lot of questions on that topic.
鈥淭he rule of thumb is the two-household rule,鈥 stated Elliot.
鈥淲hen we look at indoor sports, one of the first things to consider is indoor-outdoor. Outdoor, there鈥檚 not a big change in the changes. When we look at indoor, it鈥檚 about two households in a unit. So that does mean that team sports will have to be postponed at this time for this period. But people can recreate with one other household in small groups.鈥
鈥淭his is a tough one, obviously,鈥 added Silver.
鈥淐onsidering just completely shutting down sports ... gyms are booked. Sports facilities are booked. At least having an opportunity to have some sport is important for mental health ... organizations have to decide 鈥榓re we just going to shut things down?鈥 The times are booked, the ice is there, if we can get at least families out here and there for some activities I think that that鈥檚 extremely important.鈥
鈥淗opefully it鈥檚 weeks. Hopefully it鈥檚 not that long,鈥 stated Silver.
鈥淚 get it. It鈥檚 tough. This one鈥檚 a tough one, for sure. But it definitely wasn鈥檛 a decision that Dr. Elliot and her team took lightly.鈥
Regarding addressing the issue of mental health, Silver stated 鈥渋t鈥檚 affecting everybody. It really is. I really wish I had something eloquent to say to make people feel better ... we have a mental wellness summit coming up, which will be really important. We need to learn as a society after COVID. We really do.鈥
鈥淭his is weighing on people鈥檚 minds: what does that new normal look like? ... The light鈥檚 at the end of the tunnel. We just need you to dig deep, and it seems like we keep asking folks to dig deep and sometimes it feels pretty overwhelming. It feels like there is no light at the end of the tunnel and sometimes that light turns into another train. But I really see us getting past this very quickly,鈥 added Silver.
Dr. Elliot added 鈥淲e need to stick together right now. It鈥檚 really important to lend a helping hand where you can. It takes all of us. Knowing that people are doing the best they can in a tough situation in order to protect the wonderful life that we have here in Yukon, with all the challenges and lovely moments as well. And I think that鈥檚 really what it takes to keep us going. We鈥檝e done this before and we鈥檝e managed it. We鈥檒l manage it this time.鈥
When asked about the discrepancies regarding COVID restrictions, Silver replied 鈥淲e鈥檙e in a critical period here in the territory, as we brace for the impact of the Omicron variant. We鈥檙e in the midst of it right now. And we鈥檝e seen what other jurisdictions across Canada and the world have experienced and we know it鈥檚 coming. These new public health measures are necessary ... to limit the strain on our health care system and to prevent it from being overwhelmed and they鈥檙e being done with the least social disruption that we possibly can do. We鈥檙e limiting close contacts, and we need people to get vaccinated. These are the most important things that Yukoners can do right now. We鈥檙e reaching out to Yukoners right now and saying 鈥楲ook, as much as you possibly can, limit those gatherings. We鈥檒l get over this, and, again, with the modelling we know, what鈥檚 happening in other places in Canada, we hope that this will be a very short wave.鈥
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Comments (3)
Up 5 Down 3
Stop Now... on Jan 18, 2022 at 4:18 pm
This is a message to the elected representatives of the Yukon Legislative Assembly. Yukon is exercising "emergency powers." Regulators must be fully transparent with the public health data they're relying on to declare a public emergency, especially when temporarily suspending charter rights of persons. The expectation to provide factual and salient data is necessary to enact emergency powers and not just case count numbers. The citizens of Yukon have very limited access to specific/general data or transparency to know what protocols Yukon's Health Authorities are using to make decisions. It鈥檚 becoming more apparent that the Yukon government and its health authority may be in a state of conflict where government is favoring private interests (group insurance providers, pharmaceuticals) rather then our public鈥檚 best interest.
Take note, Health Canada's original interim health order (2020) passed by Parliament was based on the covid data from a foreign health agency the United States (FDA). When Health Canada introduced the vaccine they were not acting as an independent agency. Instead, they relied on the FDA's covid data/information (take a look what鈥檚 happening in the US courts right now), so under regulation, Health Canada is a "dependent agency". If the FDA's decisions are tainted by conflict or even regulatory hazard鈥攂y proxy, Health Canada will be a 鈥渞egulatory capture agency鈥 and by default, every Canadian jurisdiction will be in the same liability scenario. Yukon will blame Canada, Canada will blame the US and everybody loses, except for the corporation(s) that calculated the ratio of additional liability to revenue to pay for civil damages.
The vaccine doesn鈥檛 work and that鈥檚 becoming more clear each day that passes. Health protocols are being treated as protected information and our rights are being violated. Elected officials better get real, and fast. You think Covid is highly transmissible, you wait, the first wave of public accountability hasn鈥檛 hit yet, but when it does, it will be so colossal you won鈥檛 be able to use spring flood control, mine site liability issues or transport shortages to divert the public attention away from your unsound actions. Representative鈥檚 better take a hard look at themselves now, because your decisions are going to cost you re-election, professional credibility, personal integrity and to top it off, each of you will be pointing the finger at one another all the way to law courts.
Up 4 Down 4
Reneezing on Jan 18, 2022 at 4:16 pm
Covid was over 2 years ago鈥 stop destroying children's lives.. blowing the whole economy, ruining peoples lives.
The burning ship sinks with all your government agendas. Let's start over鈥. !!
You with your clearly brilliant and effective efforts, that you just keep scrambling up and trying to reword, as something new so you can justify your job and all the OT many government workers are raking in鈥s if you are solving the problem...
The best part is, you don't even know what to say say anymore because it's so convoluted.
Is this the Canada people want to live in? When is enough, enough? For you?
The other day I heard a vaxer SHAME another vaxer for not being vaccinated enough!!.
One thing I give credit to, the lesser vaccinated person says back to over vaxer鈥 something along the lines of it's none of your business how many vaccines I have had.
Now being vaccinated isn't even enough?
If scientists were always right鈥. Pesticides would still be cool.
Up 25 Down 2
thank you sport yukon on Jan 18, 2022 at 1:05 pm
Thank you everyone who is trying to seek clarification on these very ambiguous and unclear new restrictions, and for ongoing efforts to support Yukon kids and athletes during this time!
I anticipate that Yukon Government is about to look very, very stupid come 3 pm today in trying to clarify their spineless announcement from Friday. I truly hope the media challenges them today to be accountable and transparent in the manner they should be.