The COLTS have arrived. If ever there was a tell tale sign of spring in this corner of the world, this is it. I won’t disparage the crocus by saying the COLTS are more exciting, but it is exciting to see the COLTS arrive. Almost as exciting as a crocus. 

 

Last week I touched on the concept of COMITY, camp is committed to living out our values. Consideration of others, living beyond the rules, and taking kids into the woods to meet Jesus. It is all very important to me. It is very important to me that even in hard times we are showing the same love to our neighbour. It is important to me that we do not sway from our God and what God has taught us. That is my motivation. When we make decisions about camp, that is not only the starting blocks of the race… but also our training regime; it’s our diet; and it's how we will continue to run the race for which we have been called. 

 

It is very exciting that the COLTS are here! There are five COLTS this year and we will be introducing you to them soon! 

 

You may be wondering: Bronwyn what are the rules the COLTS are following to keep themselves and others safe? Great Q, I am going to share the exact rules they are following. If you have any questions or thoughts about them please don’t hesitate to ask! 

 

  1. With 15-20 people in the group at current, and limited contact with only a handful of periodic non-participants, COLTS is a small group;

  2. None of the participants are in a high-risk demographic or group, and none have chronic medical conditions. All five COLTS students are from Alberta/BC. All the instructors and their families are from Alberta, with the exception of one instructor coming from Saskatchewan.

  3. Because this is a residential program, the group will communally reside on-site for the entire 7-week duration of the program.

  4. Whenever the group - or individuals from the group - are to go off-site, they will abide by the current provincial restrictions. 

  5. Although this is a residential program, we will take additional precautions to minimize risk within the group. For instance:

    • We will minimise the use of shared/communal items, e.g. outdoor gear, serving utensils (see food prep below).

    • When physical contact between participants not within our group is necessary, e.g. during first aid training, we will use barrier devices.

    • We will provide separate living quarters for participants for the duration of the training program, with separate bathroom facilities where possible.

    • We will be prepared to further isolate an individual on-site if that person shows any symptoms associated with COVID-19. There will be a designated quarantine space.

    • We will clean and sanitise shared spaces weekly, and more often when needed.

    • Whenever it is necessary to travel off-site for training purposes (e.g. hiking or camping), we will maintain these standards whenever possible, and we will avoid contact with other backcountry users.

    • We will observe physical distancing measures if anyone external to the program needs to be on-site (e.g. other camp staff, delivery personnel, maintenance workers).

  6. We intend to follow strict protocols for food preparation and eating. 

    • Food delivery will be managed by the cook through Sysco;

    • We anticipate managing food preparation for the on-site portion of the program as either:

      •  program participants cooking for themselves; or,

      •  the designated cook to reside within the same group.

  7. The program curriculum is conducive to keeping the group participants effectively isolated. The course material is very practical, and most instruction takes place outside, and often in the backcountry.

  8. When on-site, the program will have exclusive use the Camp Lodge as their primary instruction area. There will be no other programs or rentals on site for the duration of the 7-week COLTS training.

  9. Because the Lodge is a large, open building that can comfortably host 300+ individuals, we will have plenty of space to practice physical distancing with anyone who is not within the group.

  10. We will adapt our protocols and practice to best suite the restrictions as they are updated. 



 

As you know regulations are changing as the situation evolves. We will be keeping up with those changes and adjusting our protocols accordingly. 

 

Be Calm, stay safe. 

 

Bronwyn


 
May 10, 2021 By Bronwyn