COVID-19 | Canoe Kayak Canada

See below for list of COVID-19 related resources.

CKC has been monitoring the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, and the impact of the evolving government and public health authority directives on a safe return to paddling in communities from coast to coast to coast. As such, while CKC continues to ask the Canadian paddling community to respect the directives and regulations of all public health authorities and governments at every level, we wanted to provide an update to the previously issued guidelines.

In this regard, the following guidelines have been updated to reflect the changing responses to the COVID-19 pandemic across the county, and are designed for our member organizations to use to assist in their modification of operations to align with the varied and evolving public health measures. As previously indicated, these guidelines should never be interpreted as superseding or providing a justification for not closely following public health directives, government regulations or further canoe kayak specific or general return to sport guidelines in a given member organization’s municipality/province/territory.

Although ultimate decision-making authority rests with member organizations regarding any actions to be taken as confinement measures evolve, CKC will continue to provide support and ongoing outreach to all member organizations and clubs as they make their own decisions on returning to operations and paddling, based on the unique situations in their own jurisdictions.

As before, a chart is included with links to all relevant Federal, Provincial and Territorial COVID-19 public health sources. Member organizations and clubs should consult with their respective Provincial/Territorial Sport Organizations for further guidance and measures that may be applicable. As restrictions around risk mitigation, exercise and physical distancing evolve in different jurisdictions, return to paddling and programming plans should be approved and must comply with the directive issued by the relevant Public Health and the Sport administration authorities in each jurisdiction.

It is important to note that CKC’s On-Water Safety Policies apply at all times. CKC has updated our template Assumption of Risk and Release document to include language around COVID-19. This template is available here for our members to use, all members should ensure that this waiver is compatible with your insurance providers coverage before using it with your participants.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHALLENGES

As the scope and longer-term reality of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to evolve, our immediate concerns for the health of all participants is joined by a concern for the financial viability of our Clubs, Provincial and Territorial Organizations and the hundreds of Canadians who are employed through our sport.

CKC has worked with Sport, Law and Strategy Group to provide an initial overview of the Financial Support for Sport Organizations (Updated March 25) that are part of the announced Federal measures. We will continue to follow up with our Government partners as these measures roll out or new steps are undertaken. Significant Provincial and Territorial measures are also being put in place, and we will work with all partners to understand and communicate what becomes available.
CKC will continue to work with our Federal and Sport Partners and our PTSO members to coordinate communication and response to the organizational and financial challenges the pandemic is presenting to our sport community.

CKC UPDATES

Thursday, May 19, 2022

MAY 19, 2022 – The CKC Safety Measures Policy below is intended to provide health and safety measures for all participants. In accordance with Section 6 below, this Policy will be applied and reviewed as needed to ensure that it is current and up to date with Canadian health and safety COVID-19 vaccination protocols, which continue to evolve. READ FULL POLICY HERE

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

MAY 26, 2020 – OTTAWA, ON — Due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC), Canoe Kayak British Columbia, and the Chilliwack Centre of Excellence jointly announce the cancellation of the 2020 CKC Whitewater National Championships, which was scheduled to take place from August 3 to 9, 2020 in Chilliwack, British Columbia. Ultimately, the prioritizing of the health and well-being of our paddling community, and the necessary restrictions in place to address this global pandemic make it impractical and unsafe to stage this event in 2020…READ FULL STATEMENT.

Friday, May 22, 2020

MAY 22, 2020 – OTTAWA, ON — Due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) and the Rideau Canoe Club regretfully announce the cancellation of the 2020 CKC Sprint National Championships, which was scheduled to take place from August 25 to 30, 2020 in Ottawa, Ontario, and included the Canadian Masters Championship (CANMAS). Ultimately, the prioritizing of the health and well-being of our paddling community, and the necessary restrictions in place to address this global pandemic make it unadvisable and practical to stage this event in 2020…READ FULL STATEMENT.

Monday, May 11, 2020

MAY 11, 2020 – OTTAWA, ON — The following guidelines have been created for our member organizations, to assist in their modification of operations to align with the varied and evolving public health measures in place across Canada. At no time should these guidelines be interpreted as superseding or providing a justification for not closely following public health directives, government regulations or further canoe kayak specific or general return to sport guidelines in a given member organization’s municipality/province/territory…READ FULL STATEMENT.

Thursday, April 23, 2020

APRIL 23, 2020 – OTTAWA, ON — In the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, CKC continues to ask the Canadian paddling community to respect the Government of Canada’s direction to carefully follow physical distancing practices and to respect the directives of all governmental authorities at every level. Now is the opportunity for us to be diligent leaders in our communities. Through our actions, we can contribute to the control of the spread of this virus. CKC directs all member clubs and organizations to continue the suspension of their sanctioned and organized on-water paddling and in-person activities in accordance with all Municipal, Provincial and Federal public health authority restrictions…READ FULL STATEMENT.

Monday, March 23, 2020

MARCH 23, 2020 – OTTAWA, ON — CKC is asking all members to respect the Government of Canada’s direction to carefully follow social distancing practices. Now is the opportunity for us to be diligent leaders in our communities, through our actions we can contribute to the global efforts to control of the spread of this virus. CKC again strongly urges all member clubs and organizations to suspend all in-person activities and instead work to support athletes and other members to continue safe activity in strict accordance with home based social-distancing protocols…READ FULL STATEMENT.

MARCH 23, 2020 – LETTER TO ATHLETES FROM HUGUES FOURNEL — To all Canoe-kayak athletes training for Tokyo 2020. I’m writing these words with a heavy heart. Having grown up with a father that was nominated for the 1980 Moscow Olympics and then boycotted a few months before, also having trained and qualified for two different Olympic games which one of them was the result of an unfair doping scandal, I can only imagine and feel the nightmare you are facing right now…READ FULL LETTER.

MARCH 23, 2020 – OTTAWA, ON — Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) applauds the leadership of the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee in taking decisive action to protect the health and wellbeing of our athletes and the community. We also fully support advocating for postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games until 2021. “On behalf of our Team we want to applaud the leadership of COC in making this difficult but necessary decision to not attend the Olympic and Paralympic Games as currently scheduled,” said CKC Chief Technical Officer, Graham Barton. “It has been a stressful week for our athletes with the cancellation of Florida Training Camp and Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials but they have been extremely supportive of prioritizing health and safety. The COC decision provides some much needed certainty and on behalf of CKC I would like to thank them for being leaders for us and the international sport community.”…READ FULL STATEMENT.

Sunday, March 22, 2020

MARCH 22, 2020 – TORONTO, ON — The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), backed by their Athletes’ Commissions, National Sports Organizations and the Government of Canada, have made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020. The COC and CPC urgently call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to postpone the Games for one year and we offer them our full support in helping navigate all the complexities that rescheduling the Games will bring. While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community…READ FULL STATEMENT.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

MARCH 18, 2020 – OTTAWA, ON — As the scope and longer term reality of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to evolve, our immediate concerns for health of all participants is joined by a concern for the financial viability of our Clubs, Provincial and Territorial Organizations and the hundreds of Canadians who are employed through our sport. This morning, the Federal Government announced significant financial support measures, which along with Provincial measures could provide relief to our community. We will work with our own team here at CKC and with our key partners in Government and the sport sector to provide guidance on what financial support and programs are being made available and any way we can assist in this support reaching those in our community who could be in need…READ FULL STATEMENT.

Monday, March 16, 2020

MARCH 16, 2020 – OTTAWA, ON — The CKC specific leadership task force of Senior Staff, medical experts, legal counsel and representative board members has continued to meet to monitor and adjust our organizational response to the pandemic. Based on this on-going process the following measures and recommendations are effective immediately: CKC has closed its office in Ottawa effective immediately. Staff will be working remotely and will be accessible via email and phone. Please note that CKC’s operations will be focused on our collective response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and other operations may be de-prioritized in the short term…READ FULL STATEMENT.

Saturday, March 14, 2020

MARCH 14, 2020 – OTTAWA, ON — Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) has made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel the CKC-Sprint Racing Discipline (CKC-SRD) Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials scheduled for April 16-19, 2020 in Gainesville, Georgia. This decision has been made in light of the rapidly changing landscape related to the COVID-19 health pandemic and in the interest of ensuring the health and well-being of all of our athletes, coaches and staff…READ FULL STATEMENT.

Thursday March 12, 2020

MARCH 12, 2020 – NIAGARA, ON — Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) continues to monitor the rapidly changing landscape related to COVID-19 and its potential impact on the well-being of our athletes and coaches. To date, much of our information has come from the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as the International Canoe Federation (ICF), all of whom are following the World Health Organization lead on appropriate actions and precautionary measures…READ FULL STATEMENT.

PARTNER UPDATES

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

SEPTEMBER 16, 2020 – NIAGARA 2021 CANADA SUMMER GAMES POSTPONED DUE TO THE ONGOING COVID-19 PANDEMIC — The Canada Games Council (CGC) and the 2021 Canada Games Host Society, after consulting with the Niagara Region, the Province of Ontario and the Federal Government, have made the difficult decision to postpone next year’s Niagara 2021 Canada Summer Games. The Games were originally scheduled to take place in August 2021 but, due to continued public health concerns relating to the coronavirus pandemic, they will be rescheduled to the summer of 2022…READ FULL STATEMENT.

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

APRIL 8, 2020 – ICF UPDATES EVENT STATUS DUE TO CORONAVIRUS — The International Canoe Federation has updated the status of several major canoeing events for the coming months, with several now either postponed or cancelled due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus. All events originally scheduled for May, including the 2020 ICF Paracanoe World Championships and canoe sprint Olympic qualifiers in Duisburg, Germany, and the opening ICF canoe sprint world up in Racice, Czech Republic, have now been officially cancelled. Pre-Olympic canoe slalom training camps in Tokyo in May, June and July have all been cancelled…READ FULL STATEMENT.

APRIL 8, 2020 – CHANGES TO CANADA SUMMER JOBS PROGRAM TO HELP BUSINESSES AND YOUNG CANADIANS AFFECTED BY COVID-19 — The Government of Canada is taking unprecedented action to support workers, businesses, and all Canadians impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Right now, young people are facing serious challenges finding work. To build the foundations of strong communities, we need a strong workforce that includes good job opportunities for youth. That is why the government is working to help employers adapt to the realities of COVID-19, and supporting young Canadians as they begin to look for summer employment. Today, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced temporary changes to the Canada Summer Jobs program that will help employers hire summer staff and provide young Canadians access to the jobs they need during this unprecedented time. This program will help create up to 70,000 jobs for youth between 15 and 30 years of age…READ FULL STATEMENT.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

MARCH 25, 2020 – NAIG 2020 POSTPONES JULY GAMES — The North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) Council and NAIG 2020 Host Society are announcing to all our athletes, funders, partners and friends that the Games, scheduled to be held July 12 – 18 in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Aldershot and Millbrook, have been postponed due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19. During the coming weeks, NAIG Council and the NAIG 2020 team, along with funders and partners, will be exploring options around the postponement…READ FULL STATEMENT.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

MARCH 24, 2020 – JOINT STATEMENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE AND THE TOKYO 2020 ORGANISING COMMITTEE — The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, and the Prime Minister of Japan, Abe Shinzo, held a conference call this morning to discuss the constantly changing environment with regard to COVID-19 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020…READ FULL STATEMENT.

Follow Up from 2020 CKC Annual Summit COVID-19 Meeting

Meeting date: December 8, 2020

Meeting slideshow

2020 Covid 19 Survey Results – Complete Reports

Mental Health Resources

CKC BC Camp Protocols

2020 OLY PLY Fall Warm Weather Training – Shawnigan Lake COVID-19 Plan_FINAL V2

Follow Up from CKC MEMBER COVID-19 Information and Outreach Call

The CKC COVID-19 Member Information and Outreach Call is available in its entirety here.

Please note that the CKC Board of Directors, in consultation with medical and legal experts as needed, as well as our Discipline Councils will continue to monitor the COVID-19 Landscape and will actively work to consider the further key recommendations and details concerning cancelations.

Medical Follow Up

Canadian Olympic Committee & Canadian Paralympic Committee Chief Medical Officer COVID19 Message

Mental Health

Game Plan COVID-19 Resources

CKC Mental Health Awareness Guide

Organizational, Club and Employee Economic Impact

The COVID-19 Economic Information and Outreach Call is available in its entirety here.

Agenda

Presentation (PDF)

Presentation (PowerPoint)

For details around the Government Support Programs which are rolling out consult the following:

Managing you Sport Organization through COVID-19 Resource Document

Coach Support

National Coaches Association Webinar – Open to all disciplines

Led by: Ryan Blair, Coaches Representative, Sprint Racing Council

National Coaches Meeting

The National Coaches Meeting call is available in its entirety here.

Additional Questions and Answers from Webinar (Answered by Ian Mortimer – CKC Chief Technical Officer)

What happens if we don’t have any events this year? Will clubs be required to pay membership fees to CKC and PSO’s?

The short answer is we do not know yet. Like all organizations across Canada, CKC is currently reviewing its entire 2020-21 plan, this includes our budgeting and fiscal planning for the year. With so much unknown at this moment, our position now is to build out contingencies for a range of scenarios related to the amount of activity possible within our Paddling Community this season. Decisions around what fees will apply are directly related to what sort of activity may take place. At all times, we will stay in close contact with our members to share how this reality evolves and we will always consider the financial viability of our member organizations as an important factor in our decisions.

2. With a club like mine, if we don’t have a program during the summer our club will go bankrupt and will no longer be after this pandemic. I’m sure there are other clubs in the same boat, what is the plan from CKC to help support smaller clubs?

Our sincere hope is that we can emerge from the other end of this crisis with all our member organizations intact. We say this acknowledging the incredible strain a potential “no membership” season would have on our whole system. We are holding a specific Webinar on April 1^st to provide further information regarding Federal and Provincial specific support which is emerging and seemingly increasing day by day. We will also be listening to specific challenges and answering questions on contingency planning and strategies for getting organizations through this difficult time. Based on those conversations, and the questions and feedback we have been getting from our members, we will continue to look at the ways we as a National Body can support our member organizations.