Download the PDF version of this communique here.

Dear Field Hockey BC Members,

Following Return to Responsible Play meetings with viaSport BC this week and a subsequent lobby to the Provincial Health Office for clarification as to how the BC Provincial Government ‘Proof of Vaccination’ requirements may impact the Organized Sport Sector, I am writing to provide an early indication as to community expectation prior to the release of the latest PHO Order revision. Such a PHO Order revision is expected prior to or on September 13th, 2021 (with the PHO Order revision scheduled to take effect on the same date).

Until such time as the PHO Order revision is released and most significantly the PHO Order wording has been interpretated relative to the Organized Sport Sector, the following remains an EXPECTATION ONLY and at this juncture is provided for advance community reference only:

• Adults (those 19 and older) are expected to have to show Proof of Vaccination for indoor and outdoor sport
• Youth (those 18 and younger) are expected to be exempt from the program and do not need to show Proof of Vaccination.
• Coaches, trainers, parents and volunteers who support youth sport are also expected to be exempt from showing Proof of Vaccination.
• Spectators at ticketed indoor events are expected to require Proof of Vaccination.
• Spectators at non-ticketed indoor events for youth sport may need to show Proof of Vaccination.
• Facility operators are likely to ask sport organizations to take responsibility for their Proof of Vaccination implementation.

The Provincial Government and Provincial Health Office continues to work on drafting the PHO Order revision so it can be released as soon as possible. The intention of the Order is three-fold:

• • It is being implemented as part of the BC Government’s program to increase vaccination levels in BC.
  • It is being implemented so public services (employment and other essential services) can continue.
  • It is being implemented so that programming for children and youth can continue.

For information on the overall Proof of Vaccination Program, please visit: ttps://www2.gov.bc.ca/vaccinecard.html

It is anticipated that the interpretation of the latest PHO Order revision (relative to the Organized Sport Sector) may take time and that the PHO Order may indeed be subject to further revision in order to provide appropriate sport sector guidance and alignment. This, as I am sure our community members can appreciate, is a similar environmental reality to the time taken and revisions necessary as we navigated PHO Order wording and interpretive intent during 2020.

Field Hockey BC once again asks for community patience as we look to the necessary level of interpretation to align community programming and activity to PHO Order requirements. Similar Community Communiques will follow from FHBC as more information becomes available.

For further detail regarding Field Hockey’s COVID-19 response and to access information on the Provincial Government Restart 2.0 plan, as well as Responsible Return to Play Framework documentation, please refer to the Field Hockey BC website at: https://fieldhockeybc.com/covid-19-response/. Further reference material can be found on the viaSport BC website at https://www.viasport.ca/return-sport.

Yours in sport,

Mark Saunders
Executive Director
Field Hockey BC
September 10, 2021