Safety Protocols and Response to COVID-19

Yorkton Group and companies would like to make you aware of measures we are taking in response to the COVID-19 issue.  As you are all aware, the landscape is changing around this issue on almost an hourly basis, so we will be continuing to keep an eye on the situation and make changes as appropriate, based on authoritative information available.  Yorkton Group will follow the advice provided by the experts in the provincial and federal governments respectively.

If any tenants, employees, business associates, or anyone in their household that had close contact with an individual who is a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19, or anyone showing symptoms of COVID-19, please immediately contact us so that we may take the appropriate actions to ensure the safety and health of our communities, and confirm you have undertaken the following:

• Contacted Health Link at 811 and followed all guidelines as provided which include self-isolation protocols
• Confirmed with Health Link to determine if it is appropriate for you to take further steps to isolate co-workers who may have been exposed but are not yet symptomatic (i.e., work from home for 14 days/close the office)

THE ABOVE SAFETY PROTOCOLS ARE REQUIRED TO BE FOLLOWED BY ALL NEW TENANTS AND HOTEL GUESTS PRIOR TO CHECK-IN.

In our Corporate and Regional Offices, we have implemented the following:

• Employees are working remotely from home
• We practice social distancing (a minimum buffer of 2 metres is recommended by the World Health Organization)
• We discourage in-person meeting and interaction
• We are limiting access to our Edmonton Corporate Office
• Our Vancouver Regional Office is closed to the public for the month of March and April, or until further notice
• All business travel is suspended. If anyone has traveled within the last 14 days outside Canada or shows symptoms of flu, we will be asking these individuals to self-isolate for 14 days upon return

In our Commercial and Residential Communities, we have implemented several protocols in order to provide a safe and healthy environment, including the following:

• Increased level of cleanliness and hygiene by cleaning and disinfecting all high-touch areas frequently, including entrance door handles, handrails, mailboxes, laundry facilities, lobby counters and furniture, washroom fixtures, intercom and elevator buttons, by following the guidance recommended by the health authorities
• We have procured a healthy supply of disinfectants and cleaning products
• We have closed all non-essential health facilities until further notice
• We have installed hand sanitizer units in common areas where appropriate
• All emergency maintenance requests will continue to be a priority; however, all non-essential maintenance requests will be arranged on a case by case basis to prevent any unnecessary contact
• We provided our retailers flexibility with respect to adjusting their operating hours
• We have ongoing communication with our Property Management teams advising them of our protocols to keep everybody safe and prevent transmission

We would also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that, in order to help protect yourself and your family against all respiratory illnesses, including flu and COVID-19, you should:

• Wash your hands often and well
• Avoid touching your face, nose or mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Clean and disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched
• Stay at home and away from others if you are feeling ill
• When sick, cover your cough and sneezes and then wash your hands with warm water and soap
• Practice social distancing from others (a minimum buffer of 2 metres is recommended by the World Health Organization)
• Cancel or postpone all large group meetings and events
• Utilize email, phone and conference call technology where possible

Symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath that appear 2-14 days after exposure. If you have any of these symptoms or are unsure if you should self-isolate, please complete the on-line assessment and follow the recommendations of Alberta Health Services:

https://myhealth.alberta.ca/journey/covid-19/Pages/COVID-Self-Assessment.aspx