We are looking to revitalize tournament hosting within our assocation and hope that by next season our world will hopefully allow for this as well. We are looking to fill a key position of "Director of Tournaments" and that person will be responsible for: Budgeting, Planning and Executing Tournaments and recruiting volunteers to assist by way of a tournament committee. The Director will act as SMH's point of contact with Hockey NS to ensure all tournaments are published and advertised as required as well.

Please send all nominations or requests to volunteer for this position to: secretary@flyershockey.ca and vicepresident@flyershockey.ca by Feb 26th to be considered for this position.

Please see the following information regarding " close contacts" as per Hockey Nova Scotia. 

Thank- you again for your continued support to keep our members safe.

Please visit this linkHNS Close Contact Guidelines - Feb- 17 2022 

Hello Members,

Please see the following uodate from Hockey Nova Scotia

Good evening everyone,

Earlier today, the province announced that beginning next week, COVID-19 restrictions will be eased over three phases. To read the complete release from the province, please click here.

Phase 1 will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Feb, 14 and the following restrictions impacting hockey will go into effect:

• Groups of up to 60 are now permitted in the field of play.
• Teams can have practices and regular league games (see explanation below).
• Competition is limited to regular league games. This refers to the current league that your team is playing in. If a game is part of your team’s regular league or competitive schedule, it is allowed. Bringing together teams that typically do not play one another is not allowed.
• Tournaments are still not permitted.
• Physical distancing is not required in the field of play; masks are recommended at all times when not on the ice surface.
• Spectators are allowed up to the formal gathering limit; the formal gathering limit for gatherings is 50 per cent of capacity indoors. Capacities will vary by facility. Please check with your local rink. (NOTE: While today’s press release states that fitness, recreation and leisure businesses and organizations can operate at 75 per cent capacity and references arenas, we have clarified with the province that this section does not apply to hockey or spectators at a hockey game).

We know today’s update will be welcome news for our members as we return to game action. We are hopeful that we will continue to trend in the right direction. Phase 1 is the first step in a three phase reopening plan and each phase is expected to last about a month. We understand that the situation will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis and we will provide more information to you as soon as we have it.

We will also be providing an update later this month on how this will impact the remainder of the season (including provincial tournaments and other events).

Please continue to follow the protocols and thank you all for your continued support. As always, we appreciate your efforts and commitment to keeping everyone on the ice.

Sincerely,

Amy Walsh

Executive Director

Hockey Nova Scotia

Arnie Farrell

President

Hockey Nova Scotia

Garreth MacDonald

Communications & Special Events Director

Hockey Nova Scotia

259 Commodore Drive

Dartmouth, NS, B3B 0M1

902.454.9400

hockeynovascotia.ca

Limits increasing as of Feb 7th for practices and hopeful for more changes Feb 14th. 

Click link for more details: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20220204003

Good evening everyone,

Earlier today, the provincial government announced that the current provincewide restrictions would be extended until Feb. 14. To read the full press release from the province, please click here.

During the update, however, Dr. Robert Strang, Chief Medical Officer of Health for Nova Scotia, noted that, “We’ll continue to monitor closely and recognizing the importance of activities like sports, arts and culture to mental and physical health, we will open those activities sooner if possible.”

Premier Tim Houston also mentioned that, “The goal that we're… working towards is to relax some restrictions in arts and culture.”

He indicated that, depending on the hospitalization rate and the continued success of the booster campaign, the following could be allowed in the coming weeks:

• sports teams could be allowed to resume full practices with their entire teams “around Feb. 7”
• competitions and games could be permitted by Feb. 14

This is the goal of the province but a firm plan is not currently in place yet.

As we have done throughout the pandemic, we will continue to work with Public Health and the province to get safely back to game action as soon as possible.

We would like also like to remind you about our next provincial member call on Monday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. We will provide an update during that call based on the latest information we have.

We will also pass along any updates to you as soon as we have them.

Thank you and we look forward to next week’s discussion.

Yours in Hockey,

Arnie Farrell

President

Hockey Nova Scotia

Amy Walsh

Executive Director

Hockey Nova Scotia

Garreth MacDonald

Communications & Special Events Director

Hockey Nova Scotia

259 Commodore Drive

Dartmouth, NS, B3B 0M1

902.454.9400

hockeynovascotia.ca

With the current restrictions impacting hockey remaining in effect until at least the end of the month, we wanted to pass along some additional information that our associations, leagues, and teams may find helpful during these challenging times.

1. Public Health guidelines for positive cases and close contacts

If a member of your team tests positive for COVID-19, that individual must follow the steps laid out here by Public Health.

After a positive test, a team safety rep (or team manager) should be contacted to inform the team of the positive case. Those who have been in contact with the player (i.e.: exposed to COVID-19) would be considered close contacts. Public Health’s recommendations for close contacts can be found here and must be followed. The instructions can vary by age, vaccination status, and whether or not you have recently recovered from COVID-19.

Again, please familiarize yourself with this close contacts resource from Public Health.

2. Testing/Rapid Tests

Testing: Anyone seeking testing must first complete an online assessment to determine whether they need a test and which type. If testing is recommended, they must book an appointment. Testing for the purposes of returning to activity/play is not a valid reason to access a test.

For information on testing, please click here.

Rapid Tests: Rapid tests can be picked up at various pop-up locations across the province, which are set up as walk-ins and do not require the same pre-screening. Accessing rapid tests to supply to entire teams will not be possible.

A list of sites operating weekly can be found here: https://www.nshealth.ca/coronavirus/covid-19-rapid-testing                                                                           

3. Hockey Nova Scotia Dressing Room Supervision Policy (Two-Deep Rule)

We realize that the current restrictions have posed challenges for teams trying to adhere to our dressing room supervision policy. We have been in touch with our colleagues at the province to express these concerns. As a result of these conversations, we have received approval to allow a safety rep (or similarly qualified individual who meets the requirements of the policy) to serve as a dressing room supervisor prior to the start of practice.

These individuals should minimize the time spent in the dressing room/field of play area, remain physically-distanced (at least six feet apart) from participants and coaches, and wear a mask at all times. The individual serving in this role should remain as consistent as possible from session to session.

Association and league safety reps should contact their local facilities to inform them of the additional person in the field of play.

4. Groups of 10

Associations, leagues and teams are reminded that more than one (1) group of 10 is allowed on the ice during a practice as long as the cohorts are distanced from each other the entire time. There can be no mixing of cohorts during the session. The ice surface would have to allow for distancing between the cohorts. Groups should also use staggered entry into the facility and onto the field of play, separate change rooms, etc.

Again, we want to stress that coaches and players cannot switch groups during the on-ice session.

While it will not always be possible, groups should aim to remain as consistent as possible from one practice to the next.

5. Provincial Member Call reminder

Our next provincial member call will take place on Jan. 31, 2022. We will send out more information on this upcoming call later this month. Please save the date.

We will pass along additional updates from the province as we receive them. Thank you for your continued efforts to help keep players on the ice in your area.

Yours in hockey,

Arnie Farrell

President

Hockey Nova Scotia

Amy Walsh

Executive Director

Hockey Nova Scotia

Garreth MacDonald

Communications & Special Events Director

Hockey Nova Scotia

259 Commodore Drive

Dartmouth, NS, B3B 0M1

902.454.9400

hockeynovascotia.ca