MAC Reopening August 10, Reservation Required
Update - Sep-11-2020: The information in this announcement is no longer current. Please refer to our MOVE Everywhere hub for the latest information and program schedules.
With Toronto now in Stage 3 of the Ontario government's reopening plan, Ryerson Athletics & Recreation is beginning to safely re-open our sport and fitness facilities, starting with the MAC fitness centre and group training space on August 10th. Students and members will be required to reserve their workout time in advance and will be screened by staff (see 'Health Screening' section below) for COVID-19 symptoms and risks before being granted access to facilities. As additional facilities reopen and programs are offered, updates will be shared here.
Regular physical activity is a critical well-being and learning strategy, helping you feel, think and be your best in your day-to-day and in the classroom. While many of you have joined us online since our closure in March, we know being together in-person - even six feet apart - only strengthens the experience. While things will be very different in many ways, the core experience of moving together remains intact, and the positive effects can make all the difference in our days.
In the first phase of our reopening, Ryerson students will be given priority access to our facilities in support of their well-being and academic efforts - see ‘Membership Updates’ below for further details.
Below you will find the most up-to-date information about what’s opening when, the extensive safety measures taken in response to COVID-19, and ongoing and expanding opportunities to connect online and remotely.
For a number of reasons, the MAC will be our first facility to reopen. While no date has been set yet, work is well underway to allow for the safe reopening of the RAC fitness centre, pool, Kerr Hall and other spaces in due course. Updates will be posted here and announced on social media when available.
- MAC Fitness Centre: August 10, 2020
- MAC Home Court: September 8, 2020
- RAC Fitness Centre: To be determined
- RAC Pool: To be determined
- RAC Gyms, Studios, Track: To be determined
- Kerr Hall Gyms: To be determined
The safety of our students, members and staff is always our first priority. An extensive review and redesign of our spaces and operations has been undertaken to ensure we are aligned with public health guidelines and emerging industry best practices.
We are confident you, our students and members, understand the importance of these new protocols and your role in keeping yourself and others safe. Students and members are expected to adhere to all safety requirements, facility signage and staff direction in advance of and throughout their visit. Expectations will be strictly enforced.
Pre-reserved time slots in combination with a check-in process for all students, members and staff will allow for contact tracing, should someone report a suspected or positive COVID-19 infection. If reported, Athletics & Recreation will engage Ryerson’s Environmental Health & Safety unit and Toronto Public Health, and follow their guidance with respect to communication and ongoing operations.
If you have questions or concerns related to our procedures or another person’s behaviour, please let our staff on-site know or email us at recreation@torontomu.ca.
Upon reopening, the MAC’s Fitness Centre will operate at approximately 20% capacity in the fitness centre. Each 90-minute workout time slot will welcome 25 guests and be followed by 30 minutes for staff to clean and disinfect equipment and the facility between time slots. When the RAC opens, it will operate in a similarly reduced capacity.
Students and members will be required to reserve their workout time in advance and will be screened by staff (see ‘Health Screening’ section below) for COVID-19 symptoms and risks before being granted access to facilities.
- All pieces of strength and cardio equipment have been moved to be a minimum of 2 metres apart from each other or put temporarily out of service. We’re pleased to share that all but a small number of treadmills (that couldn’t be moved due to electrical requirements) remain in service in our new layout.
- Changerooms and showers are unavailable, while washroom stalls and sinks have been limited to ensure appropriate physical distancing and fixtures have been replaced with touchless options wherever required
- Regular locker and towel service are currently unavailable, though small day-lockers are available for use during your reserved time slot only and will be cleaned after use
- All lendable equipment / fitness accessories (e.g., medicine balls, BOSU balls, stability balls, elastic tubing, wobble boards, plyometric boxes) are currently unavailable
- Saunas, studios, squash courts, track, pool and table tennis tables are currently unavailable
Physical Distancing
- Students, members and staff are expected to maintain 2 metres physical distancing between themselves and others at all times in our facilities - please leave extra time to navigate and adjust your workout accordingly
- ‘Spotting’ (supporting another participant in performing their exercise) is not permitted - please adjust your weight selection accordingly to ensure your safety
- Floor fans will be offlined to avoid unnecessary air movement
Masks & Personal Protective Equipment
Expectations of students, members and staff are guided by City of Toronto by-law and Ryerson’s Face Mask policy.
- Students & Members: Face masks are required upon entering the facilities and in all non-activity spaces (washrooms, service desks, lobbies, etc.). Masks are encouraged but optional during fitness/athletic activities. Signage is in place throughout our facilities indicating where and when masks are required or optional.
- Athletics & Recreation Staff: All staff are required to wear a face covering at all times. Staff are also required to wear a face shield and face covering, gloves, and a gown when performing first aid.
Exemptions to these expectations are outlined in Ryerson’s Face Mask policy.
In addition to our already robust efforts to ensure our strength and fitness equipment is safe and clean, new electrostatic sprayers (external link) have been purchased to support rapid and effective cleaning by staff between each workout time slot and again at the end of each day.
Students and members are also expected to use the regular spray and wipes provided to clean equipment before and after each use. Additional stations have been added to the facility in support. ‘Working in’ (sharing equipment with other participants between sets) is only permitted when cleaning between users.
Students: In the first phase of our reopening, Ryerson students will be given priority access to our facilities in support of their well-being and academic efforts.
Existing Members: At this point, only existing Ryerson staff and faculty with memberships will be eligible to re-start their membership and begin using the facilities. Existing members from our broader community will be notified via email when they are eligible to restart their memberships. We are working hard to bring this into effect as soon as possible.
- Reactivate when you are ready: We know not everyone will be ready or able to return right away, and members will not be charged fees until they do - please email recreation@torontomu.ca to reactivate whenever you are ready
- Credit for March: Members whose memberships were interrupted in March will be credited for the two missed weeks upon the restart of their membership
- No increase in fees: Despite incurring significant costs to operate in this ‘new normal’, we have worked hard to avoid increasing membership fees
New Members, Guest & Day Passes: While we are not able to welcome new members or visitors on guest/day passes at this point, prospective members are able to add themselves to our (google form) new member request mailing list (external link) , and will be notified as soon as we are.
Students and members are required to pre-reserve their workout time. Slots are available in 75 and 90 minute increments throughout the day and can be booked up to 6 days in advance and 1 minute prior to any given time slot.
- Reservations can be made online (external link)
- Limit one reservation per day per student/member
- Current Facility Hours - last updated Sep-4:
- Weekdays, open 8:00am-9:45pm starting September 8
- First booking of the day: 90 minutes
- All other bookings: 75 minutes
- Weekends, open 9:00am-6:30pm starting September 8
- All bookings 90 minutes
- Weekdays, open 8:00am-9:45pm starting September 8
Need help with your reservation? Our team is here to support - call us at 416-979-5339 or email recreation@torontomu.ca.
How to reserve a workout time online:
- Login to the Recreation Portal (external link) : Students use their my.ryerson login, while non-student members will require their ‘Member ID’ prior - email recreation@torontomu.ca to receive your Member ID.
- Select ‘MAC (or RAC) Facility Access Reservation’ icon, then your preferred day of the week and time slot.
- Click ‘Register’, then review and sign the participation waiver as prompted. Click or touch each grey box to input your initials or signature as required.
- Complete the checkout process to lock-in your time. A confirmation page will be displayed and a confirmation email sent to the email address associated with your account.
How to cancel an existing workout reservation:
- Login to the Recreation Portal (external link) using the same credentials you used to make your reservation.
- Click your account name top-right and select ‘Profile’ then ‘Registrations’.
- Find the booking you would like to cancel, click ‘Cancel’ and confirm your choice.
Each student/member will be required to check-in to their pre-reserved time slot when entering the facility using their OneCard or Photo ID. Our facility entrances are equipped with hand sanitizer and queueing stanchions with physical distancing markers on the floor. Please remember to wear your mask and leave 2 metres space between you and others at all times.
In accordance with public health guidelines, every person entering our facilities will be screened by staff for COVID-19 symptoms and risks using the questions below. Students and members are encouraged to self-screen using the same questions prior to travelling to our facilities:
- Do you have any symptoms of COVID-19 such as the following?
- Fever
- Runny nose
- Difficulty breathing
- Not feeling well
- Cough
- Loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat, trouble swallowing
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- Have you been in contact with someone who has traveled outside of Canada in the last 14 days?
- Have you traveled outside of Canada in the last 14 days?
- Have you been tested for COVID-19 and are awaiting test results?
If the answer to ANY of these questions is YES:
- Do not attend / return home (avoiding public transportation)
- Connect with and follow local public health advice
- Contact recreation@torontomu.ca for guidance on how to obtain the required service
While not included in this phase of our reopening, we are working to bring a return of in-person group fitness classes and drop-in sports like basketball, badminton, soccer, volleyball and table tennis when it is safe and possible to do so. For now, our video-on-demand and live online offerings remain available to our students and members, with more being developed for the new school year in September.
Pre-reserved ‘Drop-in’ Sports starting September 8
Our ‘drop-in’ recreation program will return with pre-reserved slots for basketball starting September 8. Things will be very different, with only one person per net in MAC Home Court, but the chance to play and be active matters, especially as fall weather arrives and outdoor options become less viable.
While only open to basketball for now, we remain committed to bringing back more sport options in due course, as it is possible and safe to do so.
Weekly Schedule:
Students/members will be able to reserve one 50 minute slot per day. Please see schedule overview below, and check available bookings in the reservation system for the latest:
- Monday @ 5:00-8:50pm
- Tuesday @ 2:00-8:50pm
- Wednesday @ 9:00am-12:50pm
- Thursday @ 9:00am-12:50pm
- Friday @ 2:00-8:50pm
- Saturday @ 1:00-4:50pm
- Sunday @ 1:00-4:50pm
What to Expect
‘Drop-in’ sports will resume under the same health and safety parameters as our fitness center, with members required to pre-reserve their time, complete health screenings and follow all protocols as laid out in our initial reopening information.
In addition, when reserving a time to play basketball, please observe the following rules:
- Maximum 1 person per net/half-court, maintaining 2 metres physical distance with other users at all times
- Members must bring their own ball - while typical to return errant rebounds between courts, users should only interact with their ball
- Members must enter/exit through the MAC Fitness Centre, using the north doors to the Mattamy Home Court
- All personal belongings must be stored in the day-use lockers by the fitness centre change rooms
How to reserve a court time:
Follow the instructions available under the ‘How to Reserve a Workout Time Online’ on our reopening page and choose the ‘Basketball - MAC Half Court Reservations’ option to see available times.
Online & Remote Active Well-Being Opportunities
While we know many of you are very much looking forward to the reopening of our facilities, we know you have also enjoyed the opportunity to connect with Ryerson instructors and programs remotely. To that end, our live and on-demand group fitness classes will continue for the foreseeable future. We’re also keeping students’ well-being top of mind in our ‘Get Ryerson Ready: Wellness Ready’ series in partnership with Student Life.
Heading into Orientation Week and the Fall 2020 academic term, we’re hard at work to bring you even more COVID-adapted online, remote, and in-person opportunities to ensure our Ryerson community continues to move together. We’re dreaming of connecting you in person to Ryerson community members in your neighborhood for movement/workout connections, ‘All-Star Game’ style skills challenges for our sports fans, and even new ESport challenges to bring us together. Look for updates later this month on our website and @RURecreation social channels...
