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COVID Restrictions in Voyageur Council - March 10, 2022

March 10, 2022

The following information is based on feedback we have received from the Public Health Units in our Council, as well as information from our CK3 counterparts in Ontario and Quebec and Scouts Canada's leadership team.

Any significant changes will be shared in an email to all Scouters and our Facebook group. Please contact your Relationship Manager if you have any questions.

Voyageur Groups in Quebec

All Groups in the Outaouais/Gatineau region (QC) may operate under modified Stage 4 Scouting.
  • In-person, indoor and outdoor gatherings are permitted with no capacity limit. Face coverings and/or masks must be worn at all times indoors and must be worn outdoors when distancing cannot be maintained. We encourage you to speak with your indoor meeting location to ensure that you are in compliance with their restrictions.
  • We highly encourage the use of Patrols to allow for physical distancing and limit the sharing of equipment. Patrols are preferred (where possible) to have 8 youth but, if the Section size and ratio complement is needed, Patrols can expand to account for additional youth. For example, if your Section has 20 youth, you can have 2 Patrols of 10 if you only have enough Scouters to support two Patrols.
  • Senior Section camping is permitted. Junior Section camping is not permitted at this time. Individual tents are recommended. No outdoor limits for activities. Patrols recommended. Follow venue capacity guidelines for indoor activities. Please keep in mind the following:
    • It is an activity that will work for all intended to attend. All Scouters, youth, and their families should be comfortable with the camping arrangements.
    • MAAF must be completed for your adventures and must be approved by the Group Commissioner. If the adventure is camping at a Scouts Canada property, the approved MAAF must also be submitted to the Scouts Canada property camp committee or staff member on site (Warden, Ranger, Camp Director).
    • Our Scouts Canada Properties team is currently working through the approval process from each local Public Health Unit (PHU) in Quebec in order to allow camping. Please understand that this process will take some time.

Voyageur Groups in Ontario

All Groups under all Ontario Public Health Units may operate under Stage 5 Scouting. However, please note that not all Public Health Units are have interpreted the provincial regulations consistently.
 
Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit
&
Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Health Unit
&
Eastern Ontario Health Unit
&
Renfrew County and District Health Unit
 
Scouting Groups operating in the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit, Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Health Unit, Eastern Ontario Health Unit, and Renfrew County and District Health Unit can operate under Schedule 2, Section 14 of the regulations ("Businesses that provide teaching and instruction").
  • In-person, indoor and outdoor gatherings are permitted.
  • When meeting indoors, the total number of participants permitted must be limited to the number that can maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from every other person in the space. We encourage you to speak with your meeting location to ensure that you are in compliance with their restrictions and capacity limits. Face coverings and/or masks must be worn at all times.
  • When meeting outdoors, the total number of participants permitted must be limited to the number of persons who can maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from every other person. Face coverings and/or masks must be worn when distancing cannot be maintained.
  • We highly encourage the use of Patrols to allow for physical distancing. Patrols are preferred (where possible) to have 8 youth but, if the Section size and ratio complement is needed, Patrols can expand to account for additional youth. For example, if your Section has 20 youth, you can have 2 Patrols of 10 if you only have enough Scouters to support two Patrols.
  • Camping is permitted; Groups are required to follow the safety guidelines for COVID-19 for camps produced by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health. Please speak with your Relationship Manager or a member of the CK3 to ensure all restrictions are being followed. Please keep in mind the following:
    • It is an activity that will work for all intended to attend. All Scouters, youth, and their families should be comfortable with the camping arrangements.
    • MAAF must be completed for your adventures and must be approved by the Group Commissioner. If the adventure is camping at a Scouts Canada property, the approved MAAF must also be submitted to the Scouts Canada property camp committee or staff member on site (Warden, Ranger, Camp Director).
    • As per the Provincial Regulations, masks and physical distancing is not required for children attending a day camp or overnight camp. It is recommended, however, that you do ask all attendees to wear masks and distance as much as possible.
    • Our Scouts Canada Properties team is currently working through the approval process from each local Public Health Unit (PHU) and Public Health Ontario (PHO) in order to allow camping. Please understand that this process will take some time.

 

Ottawa Public Health

Scouting Groups operating in the boundaries of Ottawa Public Health can operate under Schedule 3, Section 1 (b) of the regulations ("Social Gathering").

  • In-person, indoor and outdoor gatherings are permitted.
  • While the provincial regulations outline that indoor meetings (in a meeting or event space) are permitted with no capacity limit, we encourage you to speak with your meeting location to ensure that you are in compliance with their restrictions and capacity limits. Face coverings and/or masks must be worn at all times.
  • Outdoor, in-person activities are limited to a maximum of 100 individuals (including youth and Scouters). Face coverings and/or masks must be worn when distancing (two meters or more) cannot be maintained.
  • We highly encourage the use of Patrols to allow for physical distancing and to minimize the sharing of equipment. Patrols are preferred (where possible) to have 8 youth but, if the Section size and ratio complement is needed, Patrols can expand to account for additional youth. For example, if your Section has 20 youth, you can have 2 Patrols of 10 if you only have enough Scouters to support two Patrols.
  • Camping is permitted; Groups are required to follow the safety guidelines for COVID-19 for camps produced by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health. Please speak with your Relationship Manager or a member of the CK3 to ensure all restrictions are being followed. Please keep in mind the following:
    • It is an activity that will work for all intended to attend. All Scouters, youth, and their families should be comfortable with the camping arrangements.
    • MAAF must be completed for your adventures and must be approved by the Group Commissioner. If the adventure is camping at a Scouts Canada property, the approved MAAF must also be submitted to the Scouts Canada property camp committee or staff member on site (Warden, Ranger, Camp Director).
    • As per the Provincial Regulations, masks and physical distancing is not required for children attending a day camp or overnight camp. It is recommended, however, that you do ask all attendees to wear masks and distance as much as possible.
    • Our Scouts Canada Properties team is currently working through the approval process from each local Public Health Unit (PHU) and Public Health Ontario (PHO) in order to allow camping. Please understand that this process will take some time.

Please note that any local limitations enacted by your Public Health Unit, including orders limited to specific towns, must be followed at all times.

For more information about current provincial restrictions from the government, you can access the Ontario COVID-19 website or the Quebec COVID-19 websiteScouting Stage 4 and 5 details can be found at scouts.ca.
 
As a reminder to all Scouters, for your own safety and the safety of our youth and communities, you must follow public health guidelines at all times.
 
Remember, when in doubt, follow the most restrictive guideline.