The Tam Heather Board and management met on Wed Nov 25 to discuss the current COVID-19 situation. As result of those discussions the decision was made to close down Curling for the remainder of the season.
Back in October, reaching the required number of registered (and paid) members gave us confidence that enough members were committed to curling this season, so we went ahead with installing the ice in preparation for the start of the season. However, since then, things have not gone according to plan. Our original start date for league play was November 2. Provincial restrictions announced October 30 for Toronto, Peel and Ottawa delayed that start for a week until November 9th. Then the November 9 start was moved back to November 16 as Toronto was held back in a modified version of Stage 2 for an extra week. The next blow to our plans was the announcement that Toronto was moving to the red zone of Ontario's COVID-19 tiered shutdown system, and then the lockdown was announced for 28 days.
The variable nature of the pandemic and the uncertainty surrounding future restrictions and lockdowns makes it evident that any attempt to predict a reopening date with any confidence is impossible. It has reached the point where the implications of opening for a shortened season with a significantly reduced number of members and little or no bar or food offerings would be too financially detrimental. The time has come to abandon the 2020-2021 curling season and take steps necessary to protect the club’s financial viability.
Since the beginning, we have promised full refunds in the event we were unable to open. This promise will be honoured. How you will receive your refunds will be communicated shortly.
In closing, we would once again like to thank the members for your continued patience and support. We are as devastated as everyone about closing for the remainder of the season, but we know that the Tam curling community will thrive again as we look forward to reopening our doors for the 2021/2022 season.