Just twenty-four hours after telling Interior Health they would comply with the new fitness rules, owners of a western kelowna gym now say they won’t meet provincial standards COVID-19 mandates
“We made that decision based on a lack of data that the government couldn’t provide us, linking the broadcast to gyms,” said Brian Mark, co-owner of Iron Energy Gym.
Iron Energy Gym just got its business license back on Thursday, after submitting a safety plan that was approved by Interior Health.
Just a day later, the owners apparently changed their stance.
“We went to Interior Health and left our security plan. “We would like our termination reversed.” They revoked it, we drove to city hall and got our business license back,” Mark said.
“Our backs are against the wall, we were forced into this situation. Either we comply with all orders or we don’t get our license back. So yes, yesterday we complied and today we decided that we don’t do it anymore.”
A nationwide nonprofit association representing more than 6,000 facilities said many fitness companies across Canada are in financial crisis and many are responding to that problem differently.
“We’re at a stage where people are up against the wall, and people are financially exhausted, emotionally exhausted, and physically exhausted. People make different decisions when they’re in that position, people respond differently,” said Sara Hodson, president of the Fitness Industry Council of Canada.
She said the work the fitness council did with the province was the driving factor in reopening gyms in BC.
“Our approach is to stay calm, be respectful, work with data and science and have a professional approach to it,” Hodson said.
“We knew that the relationship we had with provincial health was gaining. The interest, the conversation and the action that was needed to reopen (was carried out) and that was finally how fitness was reopened in this province.”
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Hodson said that all of its members are aligned with provincial health mandates. Iron Energy Gym is not a member of the FICC.
He said gyms publicly defying provincial mandates could be seeking attention on social media.
“Most British Columbians are not interested in engaging in physical activity with a business that is against the rules, which is so outspoken,” Hodson said.
“All fitness companies are looking for attention and the groups that challenge the mandates and say ‘we oppose what the mainstream and big name fitness companies are doing’ are just people trying to get attention.”
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