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.

Critically, all those returning from outside of Canada (Including those returning from the United States and France) must be extremely diligent in respecting mandated 14-day self-isolation.

We have begun working with our members and partners as we look forward to the weeks and months ahead to form best practice recommendations for paddling activities that respect both social distancing requirements and water safety fully into account. As difficult as it can be, now is the time to prioritize our personal and community safety in relation to the pandemic and we must collectively err on the side of caution and safety on all fronts. Please stay socially isolated, and safe.

It is important to note that at all times CKC’s On-Water Safety Policies apply. All members should be aware of the serous risks posed by cold water conditions in many areas of the country at this time. Specifically, for Sprint paddlers, when water temperatures are below 8°C the Cold Water Safety regulations (Section 2.2) must be understood and followed.

CKC has created a COVID-19 web page where all pertinent updates, recommendation, resources and further information will be shared.

We will also be hosting CKC Member Covid-19 Information and Outreach Call on Thursday, March 26 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time. At that time, we will provide further information and be available to answer questions. More details on this call will follow.