Lifelong Fitness Through Active Living
We have a new medical waiver now required for participation in any future Alberta 55 plus events. Event coordinators will always have the medical waiver on hand for participants to complete at Alberta 55 plus events.
We strive to keep our members and volunteers healthy and safe as we navigate a new normal during this pandemic. Thank-you for helping us to keep our community safe and strong.
You can read a copy of the new medical waiver below:
Alberta 55 Plus Medical Waiver
There have been many conversations in the past two weeks between the Kamloops 2020 Games Board and the Canada Games Board. Because of the COVID-19 situation and the ongoing uncertainty of its length, there are going to be changes.
Kamloops has found themselves in a situation where they feel they will not be able to plan the Canada Games for 2021 and have them the success they would want them to be for many good reasons. Canada Games Board have agreed as we also want the Games to be as successful as they possibly can.
To that end, the Canada Games Board, by an unanimous vote together with the Kamloops Board have agreed that the 2020 Kamloops Games will now be classified as CANCELLED and not postponed. This will mean the next Canada Games will be held as they normally would be, in 2022 and Kamloops has agreed to host.
This also means the cancellation of all participants that were going to attend the 2020 , or as we thought, 2021Canada Games. We understand this unfortunate situation, but there was no other way. We need to remember this decision had to be fair for all Provinces, not just Alberta.
The Alberta 55 plus Winter and Summer Provincial Games in 2021/22 will, as usual, be qualifiers for the 2022 Canada Games. Please everyone, we need to give our full support to our next Provincial Games.
I have discussed this at length with our Provincial President, Dave Finn. He sent an email to our Provincial Board and they agreed this would be the best way to handle this unfortunate situation.
I will say again, refunds will be coming, but this will take some time.
Until then, everyone, please stay safe and as we hear all the time, stay home as much as possible.
Pat Covington, Alberta Director
Dave Finn, Provincial President
News and concern about COVID-19 virus increases daily. The health and safety of our members remains our first priority.
Even though the threat is low at this point in time, the Zone 3 board has decided to postpone our AGM to reduce the risk to our membership. The AGM will be rescheduled at an appropriate time.
As you are no doubt aware, concerns about this virus are increasing across Alberta and indeed across Canada.
While the media has been quick to provide us with real time updates on the spread of the virus, we highly recommend you rely on trusted and respected health services when researching and communicating with each other about the novel coronavirus. These include the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) at www.canada.ca/en/public-health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at www.cdc.gov and the World Health Organization (WHO) at www.who.int.
We, as your Board, are fully aware that these events are happening around the world and have come home to Alberta as well. We are in communication right now about the possibility of postponing or cancelling future events including the AGM scheduled for Red Deer in early May.
As of today, the meeting is planned to take place but we will be monitoring the situation closely, and if warranted, we will cancel it and reschedule for a future date.
On the Canada Games front, we have been in contact with the folks from Kamloops and the Canada 55 Board and although there have been talks about the novel coronavirus, there are no plans at this time to cancel the games. The folks at Canada 55 will be convening weekly and will be discussing all possible courses of action. We will of course notify the membership of any new information that arises.
I remind everyone that to date, all cases in Alberta have been travel related instances of the coronavirus affecting people, not from community gatherings. However, stay vigilant and make good choices about what you do, where you go and your exposure risks.
Take care all…
Dave Finn
President Alberta55 plus
Download the President’s Message
Admittedly, it’s been a while since my last message, and I felt it was time for another one to be written. I am forever hopeful that I can get these messages out every couple of months. Please take the time to read through this particular message as there are several exciting news items ready to be shared.
As most of you are aware, we have hired a new Provincial Coordinator as of November 25th, and her name is Dayna White. After an exhaustive recruitment process, one that was undertaken by several Board members, we were pleased to offer Dayna the position. Dayna has been hard at work adapting to her new role and we have been keeping her extremely busy. Please take a few moments out of your busy schedules to welcome Dayna into the fold of Alberta55 plus.
Our website has been undergoing some major construction work and has been basically shut down for several weeks at a time. We are very are close to bringing a resolve to the issues we have been experiencing. Our Membership Directors have been very patient during the downtime and have even had to resort to pen and paper (gasp) to stay on top of things. Rest assured, we will be up and running again soon.
On the Provincial Games front, I am extremely pleased to share with all of you that the Peace River/Grimshaw bid was vetted and selected as the community to host the 2021 Provincial Summer Games in the third week of August. We met with the Games Committee in February and took the opportunity to visit and inspect the various sites and venues that are planned for use. We were very impressed over all with what we saw and are very sure that the games are in good hands with the folks from the Peace River/Grimshaw area.
In staying with news about our Provincial Games, to date three communities have expressed their initial interest in hosting the Provincial Winter Games. I’m not going to jump the gun and say too much more as conversations and discussions are at there very early stages. Just know that we are actively pursuing any and all possibilities for a Winter Games host.
Recently, I was invited to attend a skiing event called the Alberta55 plus Open at Nakiska and I must say it was a very big success. There were skiers from six different zones and all age categories were represented. It is events like this that should remind us all that Alberta55 plus is for every Albertan regardless of what Zone they are from and what Zone is hosting the event. My belief is that we could benefit from more events like this. Events that are advertised as Alberta open events and all Alberta55 plus members are invited to participate. Congratulations to Zone 2 and Zone 3 for this unique initiative.
Changing gears a bit, most of you are aware that a recent government bill (Bill C-21) was passed and there is no doubt that this bill has had an impact on Alberta55 plus. It affects our access to certain grants that we have applied for in the past and used for our Provincial Games. We are not situated to continually lose access to grants and financial assistance from government sources. I have met with several Alberta MLA’s and will continue to do so on your behalf to ensure that seniors don’t become just another casualty in the financial woes of the province. Please feel free to engage your own local politicians and beat the drum for Alberta55 plus and all it stands for.
Your Executive Board has been hard at work over the past couple of months dealing with all things Alberta55 plus related. I am pleased to share with you that we have a Strategic Planning workshop scheduled for early June and our goal is to have a five-year strategic plan laid out that addresses all of our concerns about who we are and where are we headed. My plan is to share this strategy with all of you as it becomes available. If you have any thoughts, ideas, suggestions as to any of this, please send me a quick email and share them with me. It’s important for you to know that your voice means something. I like hearing (well, most of the time anyway) how we are doing and how we can improve.
On the Canada 55 Games news front there is a strong contingent of Alberta55 plus athletes and participants planning on attending. At last count, we were close to 650 Albertans making the trek to Kamloops, BC in August. Pat Covington is busy (extremely so) in getting all the registration packages together and getting Alberta ready to go. I would be remiss if I didn’t extend a HUGE thank-you to Pat for her tireless efforts regarding all things Canada 55 games related. If you’re speaking with her, please let her know that she is appreciated. Remember, if you’re planning on attending and competing in Kamloops, please consider purchasing an Alberta shirt and wear it proudly.
A reminder that our AGM is just around the corner and is scheduled to take place in Red Deer on Monday, May 4th, 2020. As is the usual, there will be elections taking place at this meeting and there are several positions that need filling. Currently, they are VP South, VP North, TD North, TD South, Secretary and Treasurer. If you are aware of anyone who might be interested in running for one of these positions or if you are interested, please send me a resume or letter of interest saying so. I believe we have some very talented and dedicated people out there across Alberta and we need them to step up and help by volunteering for a term or two on the Board. Is that you? Please consider this opportunity to get involved.
In closing, I will remind you, as I always do, that Alberta55 plus is alive and well. We have a strong, dedicated membership base that continues to support what we stand for. If we don’t take the stand that we are an active and viable association, then who will? We need to constantly remind any who will listen that we fully support an active and participatory lifestyle as is described in our mission statement. Please continue to “beat the drum” and do your best to promote who we are and what we are all about.
Warmest regards,
Dave Finn
President Alberta 55 plus
Donations to Alberta 55 plus are always welcome and tax deductable. You will receive a letter from our President and a Tax Receipt for the full amount.
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