Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce tackles the state of the fitness industry

Fitness centres were forced to shut down again in our city after the government of Alberta reverted back to Step 1 of the COVID-19 restrictions on April 6. The Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce hosted a virtual sit down Monday with owners of gyms in our community. The Chamber encouraged owners to voice their concerns about what needs to be done to help the fitness industry survive during this difficult time. Owners also talked about what can be done by the government to help out fitness centres.

Tara Lennox is the Chair of the Convener Committee for the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce, and she says, “As the voice of business, the chamber wants to be there to support. We found that when we got groups together that shared the same similar pain and challenges, it was good to kind of bounce ideas off of each other. Then, you never know what we can bring, and become your advocate.”

Sandra Asuchak owns the Kinetic Indoor Cycle & Fitness here in Lethbridge, and she says that there have been a multitude of problems for the company since the pandemic started, “We own the building. Whether our doors are open, or whether the doors are closed, we’re paying mortgage, property tax, and utilities to keep the heat and the water to the building. Liability insurance, because you can’t get rid of that. Snow removal. Unfortunately these expenses still incur whether we’re completely open, partially open, or just closed. I think by far that’s been our biggest barrier to stop us from moving forward.”

The Chamber is hoping these events will help get businesses back to work and create healthy dialogue within our community.