Hello CMHA families,

I hope everyone is doing well and getting settled into new fall routines. I wanted to start by thanking everyone for their patience and support as we figure this all out, things are still changing quickly, sometimes daily, and will continue to do so throughout the season. You may have noticed that the first installments of your CMHA fee came out today. I apologize for the confusion, our intention was to delay the payments so that I could first update everyone after last night’s executive meeting. Unfortunately, the adjustment we made in Teamsnap did not work the way we expected and the payment came out anyway.

The good news is the Complex arena is opening and the CMHA executive is working hard towards a safe return to the ice, however, in light of current developments in our local community, the CMHA executive voted last night to slow down our return plans and are now targeting a October 5th start date. The safety of all our member families is of the utmost importance to us and, as much as we would all rather be on the ice already, we felt it was the responsible approach to take. We still have details to work out and schedules to finalize, so please keep watching your emails for updates and further instructions on policies and procedures over the next several days.

The recent announcement of Phase 3 and the introduction of cohorts brings optimism for a return to some sort of competition in the future, but our start will be cautious and responsible and remain in Phase 2 initially. We will, of course, be adhering to requirements and guidelines laid out by various authorities including the PHO, WorksafeBC, viaSport, and Hockey Canada and others. The CDRD has diligently laid out a site plan that we must adhere to and includes some of the following highlights..

  • entrance into the arena no more than 15 minutes before ice time
  • arriving dressed in most gear
  • health screen and attendance taking
  • only one adult entering with player ( no siblings including toddlers or babies )
  • wearing a mask in all areas of the facility other than the ice surface
  • leaving immediately after the ice time ( no showering )

You can read their entire plan here. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with it. We are required to complete our own plan that will detail specific procedures the CMHA will be following in order to adhere to the CDRD site plan. We will send out more detailed information on safety procedures shortly and will hold a parent meeting/walk through for each group during the first week.

Hockey Canada has developed an online course to inform players, parents, safety people, officials and coaches on how to navigate the challenges presented by COVID-19 called: ‘Planning a Safe Return to Hockey’. The course is mandatory for: coaches, safety people and officials for the 2020-21 season. It is also available and suggested for parents to educate themselves regarding the protocols in place for their child(ren). This course takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and there is no charge. A link to the ‘Planning a Safe Return to Hockey’ course can be found on the BC Hockey webpage or accessed through the Hockey University platform HERE.

With no Parade of Programs this year, some families may have missed out on this method of registration. Registration is still open so if you know of families still thinking of joining, please refer them to the registration information on the Castlegar Minor Hockey website. If you have concerns regarding refunds in the event the season is halted due to Covid, be assured that a prorated refund policy will be in place should that occur. If you have any other questions or concerns regarding registration, please contact our registrar at registrarcmha@gmail.com

In lieu of our annual CMHA gear swap, I encourage families to check out the Castlegar Hockey Swap and West Kootenay Hockey Equipment Swap Facebook groups.

In the meantime, please take care and stay safe, and we look forward to seeing you on the ice shortly,

Daneve Mackie
CMHA President
presidentcmha@gmail.com

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