Alberta motocross park holds “training event” & kicks public health off the property

By Sheila Gunn Reid
|
April 28, 2021

Fight The Fines

Reporting on and fighting the pandemic fines.

Owner of Coal Trail Motocross Park, Emily Klassen, has had it with the pandemic lockdown on amateur sports — so her outdoor motorbike facility near Hardisty, Alberta, is now open for “practice.”

Over the weekend, Coal Trail MX hosted a training event with over 300 entries in several different races — except, we can’t actually call the events races. Races are verboten. Keeping track of winners and losers violates the pandemic limits placed on minor sports, including motocross.

Under current COVID restrictions, the Alberta government only permits lessons, practices and physical conditioning activities for indoor and outdoor minor sports/activities and school athletics — for example, school sports outside of physical education classes or a related part of the school curriculum.

Competition is strictly outlawed! However, there is no official direction around the distribution of participation ribbons.

I’ve tried following the science, but I still can’t figure out how giving first, second and third place medals to kids (who are adorned in full MX gear, including helmets, gloves, goggles, boots and chest protectors) somehow makes COVID more contagious. I also asked the parents and participants at Coal Trail MX if they knew the answer to that mystery. No one did.

Alberta Health Services and the RCMP showed up to Coal Trail MX just before I arrived early Saturday to try to lay down that weird “no winners/just losers” law with Emily. However, she refused to be bullied and went ahead with her “practices,” after kicking the authorities off her property and telling them to “come back with a warrant.”

If Emily receives a health citation for giving kids a chance to get back on their bikes and get some fresh air with their families watching safely from the bleachers, we are going to help her fight that lockdown ticket in court at no cost to her through www.FightTheFines.com.

Donations to www.FightTheFines.com now qualify for a charitable tax receipt through The Democracy Fund, a registered Canadian charity supporting civil liberties work.

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