From the Commanding Officer

All;

I hope everyone has had a safe, and enjoyable summer. As we head into Fall and back into classrooms, everyone is wondering what that means for the Cadet program. First and foremost, the safety of the youth in our care will always be top priority. While it is evident the COVID virus will be with us for some time, it is also evident that this program benefits greatly from in-person training. This was even recently demonstrated with the Cadet Activity Program conducted in August, in-person, at the St. Catharines Lake Street Armouries. 87 Eagle cadets even placed Excellence, Gold, Silver, and Bronze in the Cadet Fitness Assessments. Congratulations!

The current plan is for September to include some limited in-person activities, including uniform supply nights for up to 15 cadets at a time and senior cadet training sessions. Until we return to regular, in-person training, we will use a hybrid approach to deliver the program. The current goal is for a return to weekly in-person training as early as October. Information about online and in-person training sessions will be coming beginning of September.

All in-person activities will be conducted in accordance with local Public Health Measures and include low risk COVID-19 exposure (eg. limited physical contact), PPE, sanitization, signage, and facility modifications to maintain physical distancing. Details about screening and PPE requirements will be posted before the first in-person activity is conducted.

Looking to join us? Although we will not have an in-person Open House for new recruits in September, details about a virtual session via Facebook Live and YouTube will be coming. If you are interested in joining cadets, registration opens September 1st. Please head to https://87eagle.ca/join for details.

I look forward to seeing everyone again, and hearing about your summers,

C. Bowman
Captain
Commanding Officer