Safety for both our guests and staff has always been our top priority, and as such, we will continue to implement policies and procedures as directed by Public Health Authorities and fit them into our operation. While most of our programming is delivered outdoors and most of the current restrictions do not apply, we do have indoor pre-meetings as well as some programs that have large portions delivered indoors. Yamnuska Mountain Adventures will be implementing Alberta’s COVID-19 Restriction Exemption Program.
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures Restriction Exemption Program Details
Start Date: September 20, 2021 (Updated October 25, 2021)
Guests born in 2009 and earlier that are participating in indoor portions of our programming will be required to show:
- Proof of vaccination/QR code; or
- Proof of a negative privately paid test result from a sample that is taken within the prior 72 hours (Results from Alberta Health Services are not eligible for consideration for this program), or
- An original (non-copied) medical exemption letter.
- Valid personal ID for all guests 18 and older
Acceptable proof of vaccination includes:
Valid up to November 15th, 2021:
- A picture or paper record of a valid Alberta Health Services, MyHealth Records, pharmacy, First Nations, or physician immunization record prominently displaying the name, type of vaccine, and date of administration, or
- Canadian armed forces immunization record, displaying the name, type of vaccine and date of administration, or
- An immunization record from another Canadian Province or Territory, displaying the name, type of vaccine and date of administration, or
- Valid Government of Alberta Vaccination QR code (when available), or
- For international travellers, the ArriveCan app code.
Valid on November 15th, 2021, and after:
- Valid Government of Alberta Vaccination QR code
- Other Provincial vaccine records
- First Nation vaccine records
- Canadian Armed Forces vaccine records
- ArriveCan app and valid international travel identity document
Number of doses required:
- Up to October 25: At least one dose is required at least 14 days prior.
- October 25 and later: Two doses of a two-dose series are required, with the second at least 14 days prior. (Note that the Janssen vaccine is the only Health Canada approved vaccine that requires only a single dose for a complete series – if an individual has received one dose of a Janssen vaccine at least two weeks prior, this would be considered sufficient)
Screening Process:
- At the time of booking, you will be reminded of the requirements for the Restrictions Exemption Program.
- Guides and instructors are required to check for proof of vaccine/QR Code, exception letter, or negative COVID test upon guests’ arrival to their program.
- November 15th, 2021, and forward guides will be required to check AB residents’ Proof of Vaccine using the AB COVID Records Verifier App. This can be downloaded to mobile devices for free from either Google Play or the App Store
- All guests 18 and over must have their personal ID checked and it must match the provided COVID documentation.
- Guests providing a negative COVID test result will be required to provide new tests every 72 hours for longer programs if they are indoors. This must also be checked.
- Your information will only be used for the Restriction Exemption Program and will be private.
Inability to Provide Proof of Vaccination, Negative Test, or Exemption Letter:
- Guests will be reminded before arrival of the requirements. If guests are unable to provide Proof of Vaccine, a negative test, or an exemption letter they will not be able to participate in indoor portions of their program.
- We will do our best to accommodate course starts for guests that are unable to provide proof for programs that are mainly outside. This would include waiver review and signing, and courses that require equipment checks and/or rental gear. These starts would typically take around 1 hour and will be moved outside where possible.
- First aid, Navigation, and AST2 courses are examples of programs that can not be accommodated in this manner, and guests who can not provide proof of vaccination, a negative test, or an exemption letter will not be allowed to participate.
- We will be offering online versions of our AST 1 classroom days which will allow us to accommodate everyone.
- Guests that can not provide proof of vaccination will not be permitted in vehicles for programs where Yamnuska provides the transport. They will be responsible for their own transport.
Other Restrictions in Place Regardless of Exemption:
- Masking is still required indoors.
- Isolation requirements have not changed for people who have COVID symptoms or have tested positive for COVID. While it is no longer legally required for close contacts of positive cases to isolate, we are asking guests who are in this position to discuss this with us.
- Travelling in vehicles with other guests or guides requires the use of masks by everyone in the vehicle as mandated by Alberta Health.
While we recognize the challenges of this program, we will aim to minimize the disruptions to our guests and programs while maintaining these COVID-19 mandates. We will continue to evaluate the Restrictions Exemption Program and modify it to our programs where appropriate. We will be contacting all guests that are currently booked within the next month to discuss their options.
We appreciate your understanding and are looking forward to seeing you on your next program with us.
Jesse de Montigny
Managing Director
Leave a Reply