July 3, 2020
Edmontonians eager to return to indoor fitness and swimming activities will find many new COVID-19 safety measures in place at the five City of Edmonton recreation centres that are set to reopen on July 6.
Fitness centres and gymnasiums (for badminton and pickle ball only) at Terwillegar, Commonwealth, Clareview and The Meadows Community Recreation Centres will reopen July 6. Pools at Clareview Community Recreation Centre, Bonnie Doon Leisure Centre and Jasper Place Fitness and Leisure Centre will reopen July 20.
Kinsmen Sports Centre will open fitness centres and some field house amenities on July 13, while a partial reopening of its pools for public use is scheduled for August 4.
“We look forward to welcoming Edmontonians back into our facilities, but we are asking that everyone learns how the experience will be different and what they’ll need to consider,” said Roger Jevne, Branch Manager of Community and Recreation Facilities. “We have put some modifications in place to protect the health and safety of our visitors and staff.”
The most significant measure is that anyone wanting to visit a recreation centre must book a time online, with details available at
edmonton.ca/reccentres. The City is implementing this change to manage the number of people within the facilities to adhere to Alberta Health guidelines for
fitness centres, gymnasiums and
pools. Reservations for times at fitness centres and gymnasiums will open at 1:30 p.m. on July 3. Reservations for pools will open on July 13.
The City is also making a number of changes in order to follow public health guidelines, including providing hand sanitizer at numerous locations, enhancing cleaning procedures of public spaces, designating one-way traffic flow and putting up signs to encourage physical distancing. It is recommended that patrons and participants wear a mask when they are not engaging in intense physical activity. Wearing masks in pools is not allowed.
Information about safety measures, an interim pricing structure and what is happening with current memberships can be found at
edmonton.ca/reccentres.
“We are committed to ensuring our members can get back to their recreation activities in as enjoyable and safe a way as possible,” said Jevne. “We know our visitors will understand these modifications and do their part to follow public health guidelines.”
In addition to reopening select recreation centres this month, the City has developed new outdoor fitness classes, as indoor fitness classes are not being offered at this time. People can learn more about outdoor programs and register for classes through
edmonton.ca/outdoorfitness.
The City will also be resuming learn to swim programs when pools reopen but with a new approach of one student per instructor to adhere to Alberta Health guidelines. Registration is now open and can be done through
edmonton.ca/reccentres.
