(Photo: Chad Beagle)

By Troy Gillard

more events planned for across Alberta Tuesday

Ralliers call on province to let kids play

Jan 26, 2021 | 9:30 AM

Chad Beagle just couldn’t sit around any longer.

After last Thursday’s announcement that Alberta’s current public health measures aimed at reducing COVID-19 spread, which include a ban on team sports, would continue for a while longer, Beagle decided he simply had to get his point across.

“To sit at home and complain about something is not really me,” the Rimbey area rancher and business owner admitted, “so I said let’s do something about it. Let’s use our voices, let’s come together as a group of people and go from there.”

So Beagle started making calls and about 60 people turned out on a cold and windy Saturday afternoon outside the Vern Poffenroth Memorial Arena in Rimbey to urge the provincial government to “let kids play.”

“The biggest thing is just to get some attention to kids and mental health,” Beagle said Monday.

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“A lot of people say we’re ignoring the virus, absolutely not. We see it every day and totally respect that.”

(Photo: Chad Beagle)

Team sports across Alberta have been prohibited since December 13 (since November 13 in Red Deer, Calgary, Edmonton and surrounding areas) as part of the province’s public health measures designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“It will really depend on how we all collectively work together to keep those numbers coming down,” Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said recently when asked about a potential return to play.

“We’re saying there’s a way to do it,” Beagle stressed.

“Before this shutdown we had protocols in place that were stiffer than anywhere because we were scared that our kids weren’t going to be able to continue hockey. We were jumping through every hoop we possibly could to be safe and keep kids going. It didn’t come to fruition, but we’re willing to do that again just to get the kids back on the ice.”

Beagle, a long-time minor hockey coach and former Western Hockey League and Chinook Hockey league player, says he and his supporters aren’t demanding a return to full-on league play, just the opportunity to get groups of kids back being active.

“Not just hockey, I’m talking about every activity there is,” he insists. “Some people think we’re just doing it for sports, absolutely not. We’re talking about any club, any activity that gets kids’ attention and is something they’ve worked for.”

Beagle says the support he’s received since Saturday’s event in Rimbey has been tremendous.

“I’ve been contacted by people from Edson, Fort McMurray, Red Deer, all over the place, lending their support, he shared. “A lot of people sharing stories about what they went through as a kid when sport was taken away from them.”

Beagle also received a call from Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre MLA Jason Nixon, who Beagle said was supportive and understood where he’s coming from.

“He wanted me to know that they’re listening and they’re working on it. I told him that we feel powerless right now as a sporting community and we just wanted to do something to bring attention to it.”

Beagle says Nixon promised to put him in touch with Dr. Hinshaw to share his thoughts.

“I look forward to having a conversation. I’m not a politician. I’m not a doctor or anything like that. All I am is a father of kids in sport and a coach. I want to express where we’re coming from, me and a lot of people who are contacting me, to get a clearer idea of what we’re looking at and to express that these kids need something to do and look forward to.”

The reaction has not been unanimous, however, as Beagle has heard from some who disagree, some strongly, with what he’s doing.

“Some say ‘I have friends that are in health care and there’s no way we would support you because we know what they’re going through.’ I totally respect that. I have friends in health care too and I respect the hell out of what they’re doing,” he implored.

“It’s just that above all, I think there’s a way to do things safely because the last thing I’d do is put my kids or anybody else’s into something that could go wrong. That’s the last thing anybody wants.”

“Hockey Alberta understands the concern and frustration being felt by the hockey community across the province as the pause continues in our sport,” Hockey Alberta CEO Rob Litwinski said in a statement.

“We have been clear in our support of the expertise provided by Alberta’s health experts and the importance of the health and safety of all Albertans during the COVID-19 pandemic. But we also share the sentiment that has been expressed to us by hockey parents across the province – that the mental and physical health benefits of participating in hockey are important to their children, our players.”

Litwinski says Hockey Alberta, who on Jan. 7 cancelled its 2021 provincial championship tournaments due to the uncertainty over return to play, has been working with officials from the government, Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services throughout the pandemic and will continue to do so.

“We believe that, given the opportunity, Hockey Alberta and our Member organizations can develop and implement a plan to allow our more than 100,000 participants to return safely to the ice to enjoy the final couple of months of the season.”

There are more return to play rallies planned for communities across Alberta on Tuesday, including Bentley.

A Facebook post from Bentley Minor Hockey indicates events are also planned for Bow Island, Castor, Coronation, Delburne, Medicine Hat, Provost, Pembina, Vulcan and Wetaskiwin.