Anytime Fitness, franchisees call on provinces to work toward reopening gyms

Owners of independently operated Anytime Fitness locations are calling on provincial leaders and health officials to work toward reopening in four provinces.

The business owners across Canada are sending letters to provincial leaders and health officials in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec—where health clubs remain closed—inviting them to work together with the health club industry to establish province-approved safety and sanitation protocols that permit these essential businesses to reopen.

Anytime Fitness, with more than 200 locations across Canada, provides health and wellness services to more than 100,000 Canadians and is one of the country’s largest health club brands.

“We appreciate the difficult challenges the provinces have faced when deciding whether certain

industries must close or remain open,” said Anytime Fitness president Stacy Anderson. “However, the continued closure of gyms due to COVID-19 is an obstacle to Canadians’ ability to maintain physical and mental health. The data is clear that health clubs and fitness centres—which, unlike restaurants and retail locations, are membership-based, controlled environments that are not open to the general public—are safe when safety and sanitation protocols are followed.

“In fact, we know the Anytime Fitness locations currently open across Canada—such as in British Columbia—have shown by following safety and sanitation protocols neutralizes the risk of infection in their facilities while continuing to allow them to provide essential exercise and wellness services for their members.”

Anderson said the Fitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC) and the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) have issued “industry-approved safety and sanitation protocols,” which Anytime Fitness has adapted worldwide at its locations.

“So, we are joining our Canadian franchise owners in respectfully urging provincial leaders where health clubs are closed to work together with us to safely reopen as soon as possible,” Anderson said.