March 9, 2021
Hello everyone,
As our cities and towns slowly begin to open back up, and as more Seasons staff, residents and their families receive the COVID-19 vaccine, more people are asking us, ‘when are things going back to normal?’ This is a valid question.
A retirement community is held to a different standard than the average local business (as it should be). Seasons is required to follow the enhanced directives and orders from our provincial government and our sector regulators because of our vulnerable population. Both the Alberta and Ontario governments are concerned about new variants and their rapid transmission amongst non-vaccinated staff and the essential visitors who support our residents. To monitor Canada’s vaccination rates amongst the population you can review the link here.
We appreciate how many of you are making vaccination a priority. However, not all of our residents, staff or designated essential visitors have been called to receive one or both doses of the vaccine. As I have shared before, the decision as to who gets the vaccine and when, is controlled by local public health units, not Seasons.
So while we have much to be optimistic about, the directives to retirement home operators have not yet changed. We are advocating in Ontario and Alberta to our sector regulators about retirement home restrictions. Like you, we recognize that access to the hairdresser, typical dining service and activities are important to connecting and caring about one another. We want life to return to normal for our staff and residents and we are prepared to act quickly once those directives are mandated, making it is safe to do so.
Vaccination Eligibility and Clinic Dates
As soon as we are informed of vaccination dates for staff, residents and Essential Designated Caregivers, we will advise you. We understand the frustration of having to wait, and kindly remind you that it is entirely out of our hands.
The government is considering the impact of extended vaccine dose intervals upwards of 4 months. While we have not heard definitively how this may impact us, you can learn more here.
Seasons Alberta
| Community | Residents Eligible | Date of 1st Dose | Date of 2nd Dose | Team Members Eligible | Essential Visitor Eligible |
| Seasons Camrose | DSL | Jan 12th | Feb 8th | Yes | No |
| ISL | Feb 8th | Mar 1st | |||
| Seasons Drayton Valley | DSL | Jan 14th | Feb 9th | Yes | No |
| IL | Feb 9th | Mar 2nd | |||
| Seasons Encore | DSL | Jan 5th | Jan 27th | Yes | No |
| IL | Feb 11th | Mar 4th | |||
| Seasons High River | All | Jan 8th | Feb 4th | Yes | No |
| Seasons Lethbridge | All | Feb 25th | Yes | No | |
| Seasons Lethbridge Gardens | All | Feb 22nd | Yes | No | |
| Seasons Olds | All | Jan 17th | Feb 9th | Yes | No |
| Seasons Ponoka | All | Jan 16th | Feb 11th | Yes | No |
| Seasons Wetaskiwin | DSL | Jan 12th | Feb 4th | Yes | No |
| IL | Feb 17th or 18th | Mar 18th |
Seasons Ontario
| Community | Residents Eligible | Date of 1st Dose | Date of 2nd Dose | Team Members Eligible | Essential Visitor Eligible |
| Seasons Amherstburg | Yes | Jan 11th | Feb 8th | Yes | No |
| Seasons Belle River | Yes | Jan 18th | Feb 15th | Yes | No |
| Seasons Brantford | Yes | Jan 19th | Feb 16th | Yes | Yes |
| Seasons Cambridge | Yes | Jan 21st | Feb 11th | Yes | Yes |
| Seasons Clarington | Yes | Jan 21st | Feb 19th | Yes | No |
| Seasons Dufferin Centre | Yes | Mar 15th | Yes | No | |
| Seasons Milton | Yes | Jan 27th | Feb 16th | Yes | Yes |
| Seasons Owen Sound | Yes | Feb 23rd & 26th | Yes | Yes | |
| Seasons Royal Oak Village | Yes | Jan 15th | Feb 12th | Yes | No |
| Seasons Strathroy | Yes | Feb 21st | Yes | Yes | |
| Seasons St. Thomas | Yes | Feb 11th | Mar 4th | Yes | Yes |
| Seasons Stoney Creek | Yes | Jan 20th | Feb 17th | Yes | Yes |
| Seasons Welland | Yes | Jan 29th | Feb 19th | Yes | Yes |
Ontario
For information on what phase your region falls into, visit their website. The Retirement Home Regulatory Authority (RHRA) has a scenario matrix for visiting retirement communities.
Please visit their website for information on the current visitor and resident absence directive. This week, our Ontario residences fall into the following zones:
Alberta
For more information on the status in Alberta, visit their website.
A reminder that everyone who enters our communities, in both provinces, must continue to follow our protocols including health screening, continuous masking, good hand hygiene and physical distancing. Information on our current COVID-19 protocols for residents and designated visitors is also available on Cubigo.
This week we acknowledge the selfless efforts our staff and residents have made in the name of our collective health and safety this past year. Each Seasons community is offering a three-day, complimentary Tim Hortons Grab-n-Go station as a small thank you for your ongoing patience and cooperation with COVID-19 protocols.
Whether you live or work with us, we take our responsibility to you very seriously. Thank you for choosing Seasons.
Sincerely,
LeighAnne Voll
Chief Operating Officer,
Seasons Retirement Communities
For additional online resources for COVID-19 you can visit the following sites:
Canada Health
Alberta Health
Alberta Health Services
Public Health Ontario
Retirement Home Regulatory Authority