Quesnel’s second annual Progressive Agriculture Safety Day has been postponed to the fall.
The organizing committee of the Quesnel Progressive Agriculture Safety Day has announced that the current safety day scheduled for May 16 has been re-scheduled for Nov. 14, 2020.
“This move comes as a result of our ongoing efforts to keep our community members and participants safe — and to do our part to help stop the spread COVID-19,” organizers say in a news release. “It is our responsibility and our obligation to promote safe health and wellness practices, not only in the agricultural sector, but in community practices as well. Because our event consists of a social/community gathering, it is unsafe to proceed with our scheduled date — and rescheduling for a later date was in the best interest of our program.”
The event will now be held Saturday, Nov. 14 at Alex Fraser Park from 9 a.m. to noon. Registration remains open, and if you would like to reserve your spot, you are encouraged to register today. Registration packages can be found on the Quesnel Progressive Ag Safety Day Facebook page. If anyone needs a package sent to them, they can message the organizers through the Facebook page, and they can send out a registration booklet.
“We take pride in our community, and we want to be sure to do our part to not only help stop the spread of this virus, but to keep our community, participants and presenters safe during these unprecedented times,” lead co-ordinator Cody Dillabough said in the release. “Over the coming months, we will continue to re-work our programming to be able to prove the best possible program to our community.”
“By doing so, we will be adhering to the provincial protocols of social distancing,” adds Cameron Tetreault, assistant co-ordinator for the event. “It was unsafe for us to proceed with our [scheduled] Progressive Ag Safety Day. We are disappointed by the decision to reschedule; however, the health of our community is our top priority.”
Event organizers encourage everyone to continue to practice social distancing of two metres (six feet), stay home as much as possible, continue to wash your hands frequently and not go out in public if you are feeling unwell.
“We are all in this together,” says Dillabough. “We encourage you to continue to register for the event, and we will see you all this fall. Until then, stay safe.”
Progressive Agriculture Safety Day provides children and youth aged six to 16 with the tools to safely thrive in the community, providing information about everything from exiting an energized tractor or vehicle and correctly buckling up to building your own first aid kit and learning how to use a fire extinguisher properly.
Stations being planned for this year’s Quesnel event include animal safety, ATV and dirt bike safety, survive alive, electrical safety, farm equipment safety, fire safety, small animal safety, first aid/first on the scene, food safety, hand tool safety, lawn equipment safety, PTO and entanglement safety, road safety and hidden hazards. Trans Canada Energy will present information about gas line transmission and what to do if you smell gas, there will be a chance to learn what hazards are hidden around your home, yard and workspace, and junior and senior registered 4-H members will have the opportunity to do a farm safety walk about.
READ MORE: Second annual Progressive Agriculture Safety Day in Quesnel will take place May 16
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