Indoor walking will tentatively resume at CN Centre on Oct. 19, after city council voted in favour of reopening the service.
In a report to council on Monday, city director of community services and public safety Adam Davey said although the service will reopen, it won't look the way it did in previous years.
"In previous years, the arenas were open, public spaces," Davey said. "Most people came between 8 (a.m.) and 4 (p.m.), but it was only closed if the Cougars needed the space."
When public walking resumes at CN Centre, it will still be free but walkers will be required to register in advance for a 90-minute block. Four 90-minute blocks will be offered each day, from Monday to Friday, with 30 minutes scheduled for cleaning between each period.
The blocks will start at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
"The process is very similar to swim registration, except that there is no cost for walking," Davey said.
Online registration will be available on the city's website, on the recreation and activities page later this month, or by phoning 311. Registration will be available up to two days in advance, and close 30 minutes before the scheduled time.
"No drop-in registration will be available," Davey said.
The CN Centre atrium is too small a space to facilitate in-person, drop-in registration, Davey said.
While the program won't cost users, it does mean extra costs for the taxpayer, Davey said. Two additional staff will be needed to conduct the cleaning and ensure compliance with public health rules.
"The extra, incremental costs of the program is $150,000 for seven months in 2021," he said.
"This is the right thing to do. We all know the winters are long and hard," Coun. Cori Ramsay said. "But there will be a price, come tax time."
Mayor Lyn Hall said providing public recreation services is part of the city's core mandate, and the taxpayers have always subsidized the users of those services.
"(But) we're taking it to a new level," Hall said. "The increased subsidization because of COVID... will mean we'll have to have conversations around the budget."
