Thanks for working with the province
By Leela Sharon Aheer Chestermere-Strathmore MLA
To all the parents, coaches, drama teachers, choir directors and many, many more not mentioned here, thank you for working with the province, using the guidelines provided by Alberta Health, and getting us back into sport, arts and culture. The sectors have concerns about folks participating in these activities, especially when physical distancing is tough to accomplish. That is why the organizations, along with Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta Health Services, and the Ministry of Health created the ability to cohort up to 50 people within a particular activity.
Let’s chat about cohorts, and then non-cohorted groups, and let’s also chat about multiple cohorts as many of you have families, which means your cohort groups are already pretty extensive. A cohort is a group of up to 50 people who are not able to social distance and have made the commitment to each other to participate in an activity knowing that the health parameters may not always be able to be maintained. This is important because group activities are important to the health and well-being of our citizens, no matter the age or activities. The recommendation from our top doc, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, and health is that if you are a member of one cohort, that limiting the amount of cohorts you and your family participate in is the best way to prevent more spread of this terrible virus. Ultimately, we have faith in you as parents, associations, cohorts and families to work with each other to keep each other safe.
You have all been so amazing in keeping the virus from spreading, and your government trusts the families of this province to take care of each other. We also trust that Albertans are having those important conversations to understand the needs of families and organizations, and the importance of working together, while protecting the vulnerable. Cohorts should always be the same people, including staff, coaches, instructors, participants, officials and volunteers.
Non-cohort sports include arts and culture activities such as drama, musical activities, horse jumping, solo dance, badminton, tennis and other sports that can maintain the two-metre distance. These are great activities, and many of these organizations are open and taking on new students.
The bubble, circle or safe squad that you are a part of is essential to the mental health and well-being of our citizens. These are choices and decisions taken on by organizations, families and the communities. The discussions and disclosure of the cohorts is essential to keeping our population healthy.
As summer transitions to fall and the leaves begin to change, I am reminded of our province’s unmatched natural beauty and the many recreational opportunities available for Albertans to enjoy in our parks. Alberta is blessed with some of the most destinations in Canada. Our parks are a core sector of our economy, supporting opportunities and jobs in tourism, hospitality and services, making them an important part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan. I am proud to share that Alberta’s government is investing $43 million to enhance, repair and protect provincial parks while creating more than 290 jobs. These projects will get Albertans back to work by creating hundreds of jobs when we need them most.
The spirit of volunteerism is alive and well in our province, and volunteers wearing bright orange safety vests will be collecting trash along Alberta highways to raise funds for community organizations. Motorists are advised to watch for the volunteers, slow down, obey signs and use caution when passing cleanup crews. Last year, Alberta’s government contributed about $1.28 million to 740 volunteer organizations involved in the highway cleanup. The organizations, which include 4-H clubs, Scouts, Girl Guides, schools, church organizations and other non-profit groups, earn $100 per kilometre cleaned.
I am also excited to share with you that the World Juniors 2021 and 2022 tournaments will be played in Edmonton and Red Deer. While the World Juniors will look very different this year, the International Ice Hockey Federation’s decision to remain in Alberta is a testament to the success our province has had in hosting global sporting events with the Stanley Cup playoffs and final. With our world-leading testing capacity and excellent facilities we can ensure that the World Juniors in 2021 follows the success we’ve seen with the NHL bubble. We encourage all hockey fans to tune in and watch as we once again showcase Alberta on the world stage.
As always, we love to hear from you.
(Leela Sharon Aheer is the MLA Elect for Chestermere-Strathmore, Minister of Status of Women and Minister of Culture and Multiculturalism)