Spring has come and almost gone and summer is on the way. British Columbia, and Vancouver Island in particular, has handled Covid-19 well relative to other jurisdictions in Canada and around the world. While it has caused some unfortunate delays in cancelled surgeries, most of us have simply had to deal with inconveniences. It has been fortunate for us to have had consistent leadership from the medical advisors, local and regional political levels and, of course, the superb compliance of folks throughout BC.

Many of our Special Interest Groups (SIG’s) such as book clubs, wine clubs, TED Talks have been holding virtual meetings. A big thanks to the folks who have organized those events!

Some of the provincial rules respecting Covid-19 have been relaxed recently. Also, Probus Canada and the coordinator of the Vancouver Island Probus clubs have encouraged individual clubs to consider this matter as they see fit as it pertains to their activities, but with full compliance with Provincial and local Health rules. Correspondingly, your Probus Management Committee had a virtual meeting via Webex on June 1 to discuss whether or not we could take some steps towards re-starting some outdoor activities. A special thanks to Bea Kolodziej for her patience in getting us adequately up to speed on Webex.

Your Management Committee has decided that we would start a “pilot” or “test run” for the Hiking SIG (Robert Grose) probably in June and the Golfing SIG (Phil Howell) probably in July. While we also considered the Walking SIG, it was decided to hold off on that until probably September. Our next Management Committee meeting is scheduled for September 7 at which time we will review findings from the “pilot” Hiking and Golf SIG’s and talk about a re-start of the Walking SIG as well.

These outdoor activities that involve potential proximity to one another will require compliance with Provincial and local health rules in addition to those posted by venues that we visit. The basic Provincial rules that apply at the current time are contained elsewhere in this eNews. The link to the Provincial website is also included. Everyone participating in a Probus event is encouraged to consult the website to get the latest posting as the rules may change with time.

The Management Committee also discussed the matter of our regular monthly general meetings. It is apparent the Provincial health rules regarding meeting in groups larger than 50 people will likely not be permitted for many months. While we considered some rather complex options to hold a general meeting, it was decided to postpone our general meetings until January 2021. This date will enable us to give adequate notice to our Speakers that have already been booked, as well as to the venues that we use.

Al MacDonald
President