To our league membership, let me start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year. I know it has not been a good past 12 months, but here is to hope for a quick turnaround of this pandemic we are all living. Your League Executive wishes the best for each one of you and your families, as we strive forward in these uncertain times that has become part of our lives this past year.

As we start to prepare for our 2021 season we have just come out of another lockdown that was issued by the Government of Ontario. The lockdown had turned into another “State of Emergency” as outlined by Premier Ford, starting on January 14th, for a minimum of 28 days. The lockdown and State of Emergency have now been lifted. We, here in Durham Region, are now back in the colour coded grid and currently sit in the “RED” state. With Durham Region in the “RED” we cannot have any meetings to get our League started as we had planned when we cancelled the 2020 season. With the current restrictions for the “RED” state, indoor gathering are limited to 5 people and outdoor gatherings are limited to 10 people. Even after we move from the “RED” state, there will be challenges, as get-togethers will still be limited in respect to group size, both indoors and outdoors.

With the current rise in COVID-19 case count numbers and the high positivity rate of infections, getting together as a group is not in the cards right now. We are all now living with and having to deal with different variants of COVID. The provincial health authorities have been talking about a possible third wave due to these variants coming at the end of March. If this is the case, we could be in for another long haul. Our plan was to have our first AGM for 2021 in January, then followed with one per month until our season started at the end of April. This will now be pushed out and we will have to come up with a game plan to tackle our meetings and get us back together as soon as possible to start our 2021 season. But again, we can not get together until restrictions are lifted by the provincial government and Durham Region enters the “GREEN” state.

With everything up in the air, it is not clear when our season will be starting. Our current plan is to start as soon as we get the green light from the Province of Ontario, and then the City of Oshawa. We cannot do anything until the City of Oshawa issues our permit for play at Lake Front West Facility. With that, there will be a lot of restrictions and COVID rules that any association will have to follow, administer, and police. The Executive will update further on what will be required of the League, the Executive and for you, the Membership.

Once we have addressed what will be outlined for us to follow by the provincial government and the City of Oshawa, it will have to be submitted for approval before we can obtain our permit. Until all this can happen and be approved, we are in limbo as to when we will be able to start our 2021 season. I truly had wished we could have had our AGM meeting in January, and to get the ball rolling, moving forward to our 2021 season – but with the restrictions, that was not feasible. Hopefully, we will be getting together soon, and our lives will be getting back to normal.

In closing, the Executive is staying positive that we will have some kind of a ball season here in 2021. As we get information and as more restrictions are lifted, and we know more about what will be happening with respect to adult recreational team sports and leagues here in Ontario, we will share that with you all. Until that time, please stay safe, keep your families safe and stay positive for a better year ahead.

On behalf of your 2021 Executive,