Fitness

The Active Living Club (ALC) is the City of Ottawa’ Employee Fitness Program and open to all City of Ottawa employees, as well as the spouse/partner of a City employee member.

Membership is currently $2.50 per week/ $5 per pay cheque and is automatically deducted through payroll.

Any City employee may join by filling out an application form and sending it to alc-cva@ottawa.ca A spouse or partner requesting membership must also fill out an application.

There are 17 sites located in City administrative buildings equipped with cardio machines and strength training equipment and we offer group fitness classes at select sites. Our volunteer instructors are City employees and certified in their fitness/wellness specialty.

Hours of Operation and Access

ALC sites are open 24/7, except for Catherine St., which is open from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, and Tallwood, which is open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In accordance with City of Ottawa’s security policy, access to the following ALC sites is restricted to onsite employees: Carleton Lodge, Centre d’Accueil Champlain, Garry J Armstrong, Lemieux, Britannia, and Tallwood.

Access to the facility is added to the employee ID badge. Spouses/partners will receive their own access card. Access is limited to three ALC sites, which typically includes the main employment site and one or two near the member’s residence. For additions or changes please contact the ALC. The lending of a member’s ID/access card is strictly prohibited. Violation will result in the termination of membership.

Fees

Fees are determined by the ALC Committee and collected bi-weekly through payroll deduction. Fees are currently $2.50 per week/ $5 per pay cheque (this includes the HST).

Cancellation

To cancel your membership, please email your request to alc-cva@ottawa.ca We will notify payroll. Once membership is cancelled, an application must be resubmitted to resume.

Suspending memberships

Memberships may be suspended for reasons such as prolonged illness/injury and maternity leave. Memberships may not be suspended for vacations/holidays or on a seasonal basis All other reasons will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Members who are taking a leave of absence from work may retain their ALC membership. They can either:

• Continue their ALC payroll deduction, where dues accumulated during the leave of absence will be deducted from first pay upon return; or
• Cancel their payroll deduction and pay their dues in advance ($120 for one full year of absence) by cash or cheque.

New Member Orientation

New members must be familiar with equipment before use and are asked to contact the ALC for an orientation session if required. New members are asked to familiarize themselves with ALC policies, rules and regulations.

Change Rooms and Lockers

Change rooms and showers are located at each facility and maintained by the City of Ottawa. Please report any issues or concerns to your site rep or ALC coordinators. The ALC owns lockers at the following sites: Laurier, Constellation, and Catherine St. Lockers at all other ALC’s are owned by the City of Ottawa. ALC lockers may be used during workout time only. Lockers are monitored and cleaned out on a regular basis. Items left in lockers for an extended period will be removed.

Locker rentals

Locker rentals are available only at the Laurier site, as the lockers are located within the ALC facility. Lockers at Constellation and Catherine are located in washrooms open to all City employees. Locker rentals at Laurier are on a first come, first serve basis at a cost of $20/year. There are currently no lockers available for rent, but members can ask to be placed on the waiting list. The ALC is not responsible for personal belongings left in the lockers and change rooms.

Group Fitness Classes and Fitness Instructors

roup fitness classes are offered at selected ALC sites where certified ALC volunteer instructor(s) are available and where space permits. Classes are open to all members at no extra cost on a first come, first serve basis. Classes are geared to the general fitness level of ALC members. Class styles and schedule depend on the availability of instructor(s) and are individual to each site. The ALC prohibits any class or group using the facility whose leader is not a certified group fitness instructor for the ALC, any group or class using ALC facilities who are not ALC members, and the hiring of outside instructors or personal trainers. All ALC instructors are City of Ottawa employees and certified. The ALC provides instructors training opportunities required for recertification. Please contact the ALC for more information.

Gym Equipment

The ALC endeavours to provide fitness and exercise equipment that can be used by the general population. As the ALC is not a typical fitness facility, the ALC is also guided by the principal that it cannot be everything to everybody. Equipment purchases are first and foremost dependent on members’ safety and suitability of the site for the equipment. As each site varies in size, number of members and overall type of exercise available, not all equipment will be suitable and available at all locations. Equipment maintenance is ongoing. Members are asked to inform the ALC or their site rep about malfunctioning or broken equipment.

Safety in the gym

As ALC sites are non-supervised, members are encouraged to work out with a buddy. Please familiarize yourself with the location of the first aid kit and telephone at your site. All ALC coordinators and fitness instructors are trained in CPR. In the event of an injury or emergency, dial 9-9-1-1 to notify Security Operations Centre. If possible, send someone to the main entrance door to direct EMS personnel to the ALC facility. Please report any incidents to the ALC office.

Please keep in mind the following while using the ALC:

1. Facility and equipment are for use by ALC members only
2. Appropriate fitness attire, including shirts and athletic footwear, is required at all times.
3. Athletic footwear is MANDATORY at all times, except for classes such as Yoga, Pilates and stretching
4. Use of ALC equipment including audio and video must reflect the consideration of others. In sites where classes are offered, the instructor has control over the sound system during the class
5. Fitness classes have priority on the floor during class times; non-participants may workout on the floor at the discretion of the instructor
6. Time limits must be observed during peak periods
7. Food is not permitted in the exercise area
8. All equipment must be returned to their proper place
9. Equipment must be wiped down with the cleaning solution and paper towels provided after use
10. Personal audio devices may be used with headsets
11. Please refrain from using scented products as some individuals may have sensitivities
12. Please refrain from having telephone conversations in the gym
13. Use of electronic equipment with photographic capabilities (including cellular telephones) is prohibited in the change rooms
14. External fitness instructors and personal trainers are not permitted in the ALC
15. Only ALC sanctioned fitness classes are permitted in the ALC

Covid Safety – The ALC continues to prioritize a safe environment for all

• You must be fully vaccinated to enter the gym
• Please screen yourself for COVID symptoms before arriving and do not enter if you have any symptoms
• The 2-metre physical distancing requirement is no longer in effect; physical distancing is still encouraged but at the member’s discretion
• Use hand sanitizer upon entering gym
• Wear a mask when entering, in common areas, washrooms, changerooms and hallways. Masks are not required in workout areas
• Sanitize equipment before and after use; return equipment to its place
• Please inform the ALC immediately if you test positive for COVID-19
• At Bayview site you are required to sign in for contact tracing purposes

https://www.youtube.com/user/FitnessBlender

Fitness Blender is a popular FREE YouTube channel featuring over 600 workouts that can be searched by length, difficulty, training type, calories burned and muscle group. They have videos suitable for all fitness levels, as well as excellent options for when you might want a really short but intense workout. 

Many online free yoga- power, yin, flow of various lengths and difficulties and meditation sessions as well- body and mind!

https://www.youtube.com/user/doyogawithme/videos

A staple for many home yogis, this YouTube channel offers a yoga workout for everyone (unless you hate yoga). Click through different styles and intensity or look for a video to help with a specific issue like yoga for lower back pain. Pilates and Power Yoga are available for a more intense workout and if you have kids at home, try their collection of yoga for the little ones. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKxjVgHpSEFKlG5OekbhryQ

A local Kanata woman who worked at Movati started recording her workouts for her faithful members and continued to offer them up for free.  These include Tabata, HIIT, AMRAMPS and some use equipment (which she always modifies for those without) and some are body weight workouts- be prepared!

https://www.youtube.com/c/growingannanas/community

HIIT workouts ranging in times – with and without equipment

https://www.nike.com/ntc-app

New workouts by Nike’s world-class Master Trainers are added regularly with slick videos showing correct form and posture for new moves. Browse the collection of workouts based on muscle group, workout type and duration. The workouts range from beginner to more advanced moves as you progress and allow you to choose from body weight only programs to plans with full equipment.  Don’t let the 20-minute workout fool you; it’s a great sweat.

 Your health and overall wellness is important to the work you do at the Ottawa Police Service (OPS). The Health, Safety & Wellness and the Fitness committees have teamed up in 2020 to promote a Service-wide participation in the PIN test.

In 2019, we increased the hourly allotment for members to 11 hours for those who score 75% or higher, and 5.5 hours for those who score below 75%.

You can review the testing rubric scores below, as well as postings outside Central’s gym.

New to yoga or meditation? Or just want to try something at home? Try these OPS-member recommended yoga or meditation apps and audio files:

• “Headspace” app – Learn to meditate in just 10 minutes a day (available on Google Playstore and iTunes)
• “Calm” app – Mediate, Sleep, Relax (available on Google Playstore and iTunes)
• “Daily Yoga” app (available for download from the Google Playstore and iTunes)
• MBSR meditation audio – mp3 files (available for download at http://mbsrottawa.com);
• Ottawa Insight Meditation Community – “Pay Attention” audio files (available for download at http://payattention.ca/)