Tagging someone, more than someone even, is easy on this new forum. (One of the nice features.)
If you type the at symbol a nice list will even pop-up of all the people who have posted in this thread.
@sascha, you can keep typing and the list will get shorter. You can do that with as many posters as you want to.
Here is a screen shot of what I mean.
Sweet! Thank you!
When did you get this email? If it was during the first lockdown, it has now basically been trampled (thankfully) by an update to our provincial āessentialā list which states that care of and riding horses is essential.
Ceasing unnecessary stuff like lessons (especially school horse lessons), shows, barn tours, etc. absolutely. Closing barns absolutely not. The way it reads in the latest missives from the government is that people necessary for the care and health and well-being of horses shall not be banned. Any superfluous people should stay away from horse barns.
Close to it. Our provincial government does love developers.
What they are doing is limiting it through permits. If the building does not already have permits to work above grade, they are being shut down as of tomorrow. So that will limit a lot of projects.
I am betting permits will be given to āessentialā construction.
I had to get into some of this stuff yesterday for work. Albeit everything I read was actually fast scanned and not read properly, so grab a truckload of salt lol
It seems from my quick reads that our provincial government has nailed this down pretty clearly. So, below grade construction is a no-go. Residential construction is ok. Construction of structures for essential services is ok. Etc.
A LOT of things were made more clear during the lead up to this shut down. Our first shut down was a cluster fumble, not in the least for those of us who board our horses and were advised to take our provincial governing bodyās interpretation of the initial unclear rules as the word of god ā¦ or maybe lose the insurance that many of us join for. It was a nightmare. I am not the only one that moved my horse because of the shizzle show that was created.
@sascha, barn owner shared it with me today, saying it was received today.
I am seriously bummed. Canāt fault BO for following the rules though.
Hmm, thatās very strange. The only email Iāve had from EC today is a āReminder for Applicationsā for committees. And zero from OE. Iām calling BS on this one ā¦ maybe ā¦ Iām on lunch break so I will hunt down if either organization has posted anything on their websites. (not that that will make a difference, your BO is going to do what your BO is going to do, but it might give you insight into their scruples)
After a quick search - sorry, but your BO is either making stuff up or is taking wrongly forwarded information from last MARCH as the word of the government, EC and OE.
BO isnāt one to make up stories, nor dig through emails from 8 months ago and take it as gospel today. I canāt find anything online either though - very weird.
Iām not saying she necessarily dug it up, but maybe it was a forwarded thing from a friend. Itās easier to look at something that looks official and say, yup! than it is to say, hey, wait a minute, Iām pretty sure OE and EC got their heads out of their nether regions some time ago and stopped spreading crappy interpretations of the COVID-19 government rules that drove a rift in some facilities.
Either way, that is March 2020 news, not January 2021 news. Iād personally let her know and point her to the current actual government directives that say horse care and riding are essential and that barn owners shall NOT preclude owners from caring from/riding their horses.
Yes, Iām a little bitter because I was shoved under the bus by my former BO and her stupid little minions back in March, but it worked out because I am in a better place with way, WAY saner, nicer, more genuine people and a BO that is truly a horse person and not just a know-little figurehead. 
I think EC over reacted in March.
In all the time since then I havenāt heard of transmission events at barns. Jockeys in dorms yes, but not at barns. From what we know now they are lower risk environments with a few precautions.
There were a lot of EC directives circulating in March, and it is very possible someone is continuing to circulate an old directive. I would contact EC and your provincial organization for clarification.
Iāve emailed EC for clarification and will email OE next, good idea.
A friend spoke with Mike King who handles the OE insurance today. He said that insurance will not be affected by this lockdown, people can ride (including in an indoor) and will still be covered.
He said from a moral standpoint people should be staying home as much as possible though.
I plan to give my young horse the next month or two off. Hopefully I can get 1-2 time slots per week to ride my other horse, and have my trainer ride him 1-2 times/wk as well.
The actual wording the govt used this round is: āBusinesses must ensure that all employees work from home if they can.ā, and " Work from Home Except Where Necessary:
Each person responsible for a business or organization that is open shall ensure that any person who performs work for the business or organization conducts their work remotely, with
limited exception, for instance, where the nature of their work requires them to be on-site at the workplace."
That should be more clear, especially now that itās āmustā and āshallā instead of a recommendation. Weāve also been told that there will be stricter enforcement going forward, and that OPP (provincial police), local police, bylaw officers, and inspectors will all have the authority to ticket/fine those who are not following the framework. I donāt know if there will be any random workplace check-ins, but I did see that employees were encouraged to call in to the Labour Board if they felt they were being forced to work in the office when they could work remotely.
I didnāt get the email either, but even assuming she did and itās correct, there is specifically provincial framework that allows barns to remain open for owners to care for and exercise their horses, which is considered essential. Also, note that EC is just a messenger (same as OE) - they are just passing on the govt framework. EC/OE has no legal authority to direct BOs what to do. Iām pointing this out because of the uproar about OE āforcingā barns to close etc, which they did not do. The BO needs to follow the govt framework.
Public-facing activities would be things like trail rides, lesson programs, camps. Also notice the part where it says āunless greenlit by the aforementioned government authoritiesā, which is exactly whatās happening.
So OE sent out an email yesterday that essentially just linked to the government documents that have posted here already and saying they would send more information when they receive it.
Colour me also a bit confused. @BigMama1 I remember that particular wording you linked to from the grey zone rules. But this is nowā¦ well I donāt know what you call it. I see this
https://www.ontario.ca/page/enhancing-public-health-and-workplace-safety-measures-provincewide-shutdown
If you scroll down it shows boarding stables can operate, but doesnāt have the additional wording about owners and riding. ??? Further down under outdoor recreational facilities it lists horse riding facilities as allowed, but says all indoor facilities must be closed except for high performance.
Iāve been debating this in my mind. My barn has restricted the number of people and length of each visit.
The EO is asking us to stay at home except for essential purposes. There is an incredible risk that our health care system will not be able to care for the number of patients they may get in the hospitals. The stress to the system includes emergency rooms and ICUs. So any activity that increases the risk of someone needing those services, even for medical care outside of Covid increases the risk of the healthcare system crashing. Our sport is a high risk sport and driving to the barn increases the risk of car accidents especially if we get any sort of winter weather. This is over the risk of getting Covid.
There is also a risk of spreading Covid to barn staff. I know my barn would be in dire straights if one of the staff tested positive.
A healthy horse will come to no one if it is not ridden for 4-8 weeks - in fact many will come back to work with a much better attitude!
I think we need to be looking, not at how we can interpret the rules to keep riding, but how can we support our barn staff and healthcare workers.
I agree, at the same time I donāt believe the risk is the same everywhere.
If boarders arenāt socializing at the barn and elsewhere, are wearing masks, and are physically distancing, than the chance of spreading Covid to the staff is next to nothing. We know how this virus is transmitted. People need to stop being dumb about it and assuming that it wonāt happen to them. Your ābubbleā should only be your household.
In many regions the hospitals are doing fine. I work in healthcare and have friends in all of my local hospitals. Around here things are fine. The hospital that I would go to in the event of an accident at the barn only has a 1-2 covid cases, and fewer than average influenza cases. Theyāll likely take some overflow patients from the GTA/York region, but they definitely arenāt overwhelmed right now.
Would I ride if I lived in one of the hot zones? No, probably not.
I said that at the beginning of the first shut down. I ate my words and moved my horse, not something I envisioned ever doing.
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