Hello everyone,
As always, whenever we have a consequential policy for Can*Con, we do and will continue to consult the community. We’ve done this with our Accessibility Policy, several iterations of our Harassment Policy, and recently our AI Policy. We do this so that we can hear from you before we make big decisions. So on behalf of the Board, I would like to thank you for your responses on our 2023 COVID policy. We got a lot of thoughtful responses which were really important in coming up with the policy for 2023.
The clearest message we received was that mandatory masking was an absolutely necessary part of having a safe and welcoming environment. There was also mixed support for ensuring that attendees are vaccinated, but since provincial governments have stopped supporting the various vaccine verification systems, we don’t want to promise something we can’t deliver. Can*Con will encourage all attendees to be up to date on their vaccines and boosters. We appreciate that most of our community understands that raising the attendance cap for Can*Con is a necessary step. Support for problem-free refunds for people who felt symptoms and didn’t attend was high, and people appreciated that one track of programming (the penthouse suite program) will be live-streamed for those who can’t attend in person.
We really appreciate the time and thoughtfulness people invested in telling us what’s important to them. It means a lot to us that you feel comfortable sharing your concerns and perspectives with us. With that in mind, we would like to announce our 2023 COVID Policy:
- The wearing of masks is mandatory in all the Can*Con programming areas, excluding the con suite where attendees can unmask while eating/drinking. These areas will be marked with signs and the policy will be enforced. Attendees not complying could have their membership revoked and be asked to leave. The public areas of the hotel not rented by the conference unfortunately do not fall under this policy.
- That attendance cap will be raised from 2022 levels, but not yet to pre-COVID levels.
- Base vaccinations and booster vaccines will be encouraged for attendees.
- If attendees have new or increasing symptoms of respiratory illness, they should, out of respect for other conference attendees, not attend. They can choose to receive a full refund, or attend the virtual portion of Can*Con.
Again, we thank you so much for your time and energy in helping us develop a policy that works best for the community. Please email chair@can-con.org with any questions or concerns. We will come to the community seeking advice on other policy proposals as needed.
See you in October!
Marie Bilodeau
Chair
Can*Con 2023