Clarification from Province of Ontario, EOHU and South Stormont Township

Dear Parents/Guardians of SSMHA Players,

We have been in constant communication with South Stormont Township regarding what they would be mandated to do by the Province of Ontario and the Eastern Ontario Health Unit. During that time, many of you have reached out with questions that we were unable to provide clarity on, and others waited patiently. We thank everyone for both reaching out and being patient while we awaited some clarification.

The intention of this letter is to provide as much clarity as possible, as we feel that we have all the information required to give everyone effective and accurate information.

I will start with reiterating what the HEO Minor District 2 Mandatory Vaccination Policy states, and how it applies to members of SSMHA. The policy states that “HEO District 2 will be mandating that all eligible participants involved in minor hockey are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 for the upcoming season. All eligible participants are required to be fully vaccinated by October 27, 2021 and will require proof of having been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 OR a medical note stating exemption from COVID-19 vaccination.” For further clarity, this applies to anyone (players, coaches, officials, and all volunteers) who were born in 2009 or earlier. As a member of HEO Minor District 2, the SSMHA will be enforcing this policy.

Now, the clarification that we got today from the Township of South Stormont (which was a result of the Provincial mandate and clarification provided to them by the EOHU) is with respect to parents entering the facility with a player who is participating in an “organized activity”. An “organized activity”, with respect to SSMHA, can be defined as a scheduled on ice event – such as tryouts, practices, or games.

Here are some excerpts from that letter from the Township of South Stormont:

“The Township of South Stormont was part of an Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) regional meeting on September 17th to discuss and clarify rules and regulations concerning vaccinations requirements for recreational facilities across Ontario. Due to Provincial orders everyone over the age of 12 must provide proof of vaccination if they want to enter the facility, starting Wednesday, September 22nd”

“EOHU made it clear that coaches refer ONLY to bench staff and not team managers or other volunteer roles within the teams. So, to be clear this can be your head coach, assistant coach, or trainer that is certified and will be on your team roster and actively on the bench for that game or on-ice for that practice or tryout.”

“Facility owners are not allowed to hold vaccination records; therefore, everyone MUST ensure that they have paper or electronic copy plus approved method of ID to enter the facility each and every time.”

It is extremely important to note, that the HEO District 2 Mandatory Vaccination policy is still going to be enforced as of October 27, and as noted earlier applies to players, coaches, officials, and all volunteers who were born in 2009 or earlier. This will be enforced above and beyond the Township of South Stormont policy, by the SSMHA.

To summarize, combining the policies from HEO Minor District 2 and the Province/EOHU/Township of South Stormont means:

As of September 22, everyone over the age of 12 must provide proof of full vaccination, unless they meet the exemptions listed below. Additionally, as of October 27th everyone born in 2009 or earlier must be fully vaccinated to participate in SSMHA organized events as a player, coach, official or volunteer.