'No listening, no talking': Gym owners accuse Quebec of ignoring them
An association representing gym owners is accusing the Quebec government of ignoring them as it tries to establish a dialogue to find a way to safely open fitness centres.
"It's not just that the answers aren't satisfactory," said Gabriel Hardy, Quebec spokesperson for the Fitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC). "It's really: no answers, no listening, no talking."
Hardy said that he met with the government in November 2020 and discussed the future of the industry in pandemic times and possible solutions: "We could see that we would not get through the pandemic easily. We had made proposals in that direction. We had many avenues to help the industry get through it. None of these proposals were recognized."
The spokesperson, who is also the owner of Le Chalet gym in Quebec City, said the government has been ignoring the issue ever since, "despite the fact that we have sent letters, that we have communicated regularly, not only with public health, but with the Ministry of the Economy, the Ministry of Labour, and the sub-ministry of Sport."
The lack of openness is said to be such that the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has decided to intervene by sending a letter to Health Minister Christian Dubé to get the government's attention. The email communication sent Tuesday has yet to receive a response, according to Francis Bérubé, CFIB's senior policy analyst.
The fitness industry's questions are "legitimate," said Bérubé. He points out that industry representatives have put forward "innovative" proposals that would not have been answered. "Given the lack of feedback we are receiving at this time, it was deemed appropriate to issue a joint letter."
Bérubé notes that fitness centers are in a "bind." The tourism sector, also shaken by the pandemic, can exchange with the Ministry of Tourism, the analyst said.
"Fitness centres affect everything. It affects health, it affects the economy, it affects sports."
The Ministry of Health did not respond to a request for comment from The Canadian Press on Friday.
Premier François Legault said Tuesday that the reopening of the gyms would come in a "third stage," after the reopening of the restaurants and theaters, on Jan. 31, but no date was given.
Until then, gym owners are stretched thin while they have been closed for 14 of the last 22 months, Hardy said. Owners have accumulated an average of $75,000 to $80,000 in debt, according to an internal survey.
LEADS TO OPEN
By working with the fitness industry, Hardy believes a satisfactory compromise can be found to limit the spread of the virus and allow reopening.
He points to British Columbia as an example, where fitness centres have been open since Jan. 20. Working with industry, the government has set strict conditions to allow them to reopen. Vaccination passports are required, and masks must be worn by customers and staff when moving locations. A distance of seven metres between clients is also required.
British Columbia's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Bonnie Henry, thanked the provincial chapter of the FIP when she announced the reopening of the gyms. These steps have allowed us to reopen with measures that "public health knows and accepts," said Hardy.
NOT SO SIMPLE
Reopening gyms is not so simple for the government, however, says Roxane Borgès Da Silva, a professor at the Université of Montréal's School of Public Health (ESPUM). "With a more contagious variant, we can expect that there will be a much higher risk of outbreaks in a gym," she said.
While it may seem contradictory to reopen restaurants before gyms, the decision can be justified, she said.
"The contamination is by aerosol. When you're working out, you're out of breath and you're expelling a lot more aerosol than when you're sitting in a restaurant."
Hardy believes that public health experts would be able to see that fitness centres are healthy environments if they came to visit the facilities.
"Have you come to visit our environments to look at what you see as dangerous? Where are the massive outbreak statistics in gyms compared to movie theatres or entertainment venues? There's no exchange, we don't know what they're basing it on, but, for that, it takes a dialogue," Hardy said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Lack of detention space could force CBSA to release detainees, internal memo warns
The Canada Border Services Agency is scrambling to find space to hold high-risk detainees that are set to be transferred from provincial jails in June.
BREAKING American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
BREAKING Allman Brothers Band co-founder and legendary guitarist Dickey Betts dies at 80
Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, 'Ramblin' Man,' has died. He was 80.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
Police make arrests in grandparent scam that defrauded victims out of $739K
Ontario Provincial Police say they have 'disrupted' an organized crime group that allegedly used an emergency grandparent scam to defraud seniors across Canada out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
What does it mean to be 'house poor' and how can you avoid it?
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Calgary man charged with manslaughter in death of toddler
Calgary police say Winston Campbell, 45, has been charged in the death of a two-year-old girl in 2022.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.