OUA paused until (at least) Jan24

Unfortunate but not a surprise with recent news. I wonder how this will affect the indoor track season, will meets like Fred Foot still happen since they are not exclusively an OUA event? Discus

1 Like

Hopefully we do the right things to get the virus under control by the end of January; however, this will likely take a massive shift in focus from those who have the power to make the decisions. Not super confident :cry:

As for the non-university events, good question! Idk what is going to happen with those.

1 Like

For those of us working in the Live Events Business, I know this sounds odd, but we have always advocated for hard, short lockdowns or so called “circuit breakers”. Something that we have never actually done in Ontario. It’s a short bit of pain and frustration, but it’s the fastest way to get to the other side of this, and back to putting Live Events on. But as usual in Ontario, our Gov’t has waited too long to act, and not done enough . . so it just drifts on and on! I’m feeling this is all headed in the wrong direction now in Ontario . . so just as we were kind of getting back on our feet, now we will get hot again! :unamused:

1 Like

We can’t lost sight of the fact the premier Ford, while having done better on this crisis than some of his probable role models on the right (your Republican governors and D. Trump-- and recall Ford’s one time effusive praise of the Orange One?), does harbor a bias in favour of business–as-usual over public health (and literally business-as-usual). It is entirely predictable that he would never choose to get out ahead of this thing. I recall him even admitting at one point that people had to actually be able to SEE concrete proof of the danger he was responding to before he would respond to it (and by “people” he almost certainly meant his own political base, some of whom would have preferred no response at all). In the case of Covid, this would mean by definition that he and his government would always be a minute late and buck short.

But this particular wave, I think Ford might be like the stopped clock that’s is right twice a day. Like he says, we can keep doing what we’re doing wrt to masking and distancing, but only mass and very rapid vaccination/re-vaccination is going prevent the worst. This one apparently spreads like chicken pox!

And, of course, the only REAL way out of this is to vaccinate the damn world! Nations and borders are imaginary. The natural world from whence this stuff arises is all too real.

3 Likes

I like this take Steve. That seems to be the method taken by regions that have had the most success at containing the virus. Along with our extremely high vaccination uptake, Canada should easily be able to contain the virus by upping testing and tracing measures and using hard localized lockdowns. If only we had the political will to do so. Instead it’s perpetual half measures that only work to annoy people, I would bet by design tbh.

1 Like

FWIW - I just received word that via eMail that the Canadian Elite/Masters Track Cycling Championships at the Mattamy National Cycling Center in Milton, ON, schedule for the first weekend in January have been cancelled with no re-schedule date! I was set to do the Announcing at this. :unamused:

Well, said Steve.

Indeed, Ontario has done better than some other places, but Doug Ford, his Gov’t, by their actions and what they have said, have directly contributed to how bad this has been in Ontario. You can’t “wait and see” how bad things get with a virus like this. Reason: what you are seeing TODAY is the result of what went on 2 - 3 weeks ago! You need to actually get ahead of this thing - that requires, for-site, great data and information and using it, planning, true leadership mixed with some guts - Doug Ford has none of that!