THUNDER BAY – The City of Thunder Bay has announced plans to reopen facilities including arenas, pools, and community centres, as the district prepares to emerge from a weeks-long provincial lockdown.
The reopenings will be permitted with a number of restrictions as of Tuesday as the Thunder Bay District moves from lockdown to the Red-Control zone, a shift announced Friday by the province.
Mayor Bill Mauro called that positive news, but urged the community to stay vigilant.
“It remains just as important as ever that residents adhere to all public health guidelines as there is little distinction between our current red category and being moved back into the grey lockdown designation,” read a city release.
Changes beginning next week include:
All city arenas will reopen Feb. 17, with a maximum of 10 participants at a time plus organizational staff. Call 625-2434 for booking inquiries.
The Canada Games Complex will reopen Feb. 22, with its pool open for one-hour bookings. Facilities including the weight and cardio rooms, track, squash courts, and chronic disease management programs will remain closed.
Fitness classes and programs will be offered on a reduced schedule with a maximum of nine participants and one instructor. Pre-booking for pool and fitness classes will be available starting Feb. 18 at noon at the city’s website.
Memberships may be continued for use of the pool and fitness programs, or they may be placed on hold until reverting back to level Orange.
The Churchill Pool will reopen Feb. 17. Swimmers may pre-book swimming activities up to three days in advance by calling 577-2538.
The Volunteer Pool will remain closed, with an anticipated reopening in March.
Community centres including Current River, North McIntyre, Oliver Road, Vale, and West Thunder will reopen gradually for limited programming between Feb. 16 and Mar. 1.
A maximum of 10 people can be seated for restaurant services, while takeout will be available at participating centres.
Jumbo, North End, South Neebing and Vickers Heights will remain closed during the red stage.
The city encourages users to contact centres directly for more information on available hours and bookings.
The 55 Plus Centre will reopen Feb. 22, with programs subject to change based on new capacity limits. Participants will be contacted to advise of changes to winter registered classes. Credits will be issued for any cancelled registered classes up until the reopening date.
The West Arthur Community Centre will reopen Feb. 25 for 55 Plus programming. The centre will reopen Mar. 1 for other general community programming.
Outdoor rinks will remain open with a maximum capacity of 25 people. Team sports including shinny remain prohibited, and two metres of distancing is required.
Appointment bookings for service at other city facilities such as city hall and the Victoriaville Civic Centre remain available. Residents can consult the city’s A to Z listing to find specific instructions.
Some limits that will apply across all city facilities include a maximum of 10 people in indoor areas with weights and exercise machines, a maximum of 10 people for indoor classes and 25 for outdoor classes, and no team sports can be practiced or played except for training (no scrimmage).
Activities likely to result in individuals coming within two metres of each other are not permitted, and no contact is permitted for team or individual sports.
Spectators are not permitted, but those under 18 may be accompanied by a parent or guardian for supervision.
