About

The ARA is dedicated to the development of coaches, officials and athletes in Alberta and to fulfill that responsibility, will from time to time, organize relevant courses, workshops, seminars, camps or other events.

These events require the up-front commitment to and of the resources to conduct them:

• the leaders or coaches, some occasionally from out of province, who must make the
• time available for the session, must prepare for it and who may be compensated by
• the ARA for their services and expenses
• the venue
• the necessary materials and equipment

Consequently a reasonably accurate count of those who will attend is required sufficiently in advance to plan appropriately. This number may impact the location, the timing, the resources required and even whether or not the event will proceed.

The ARA usually bears most of the cost for such events but often a participant fee is also levied. Experience has been that too often expected participants cancel at the last minute and fail to pay even though all arrangements have been made assuming their attendance and leaving no time to modify the event accordingly.

Therefore, as of 01 July 2009 the following policy will be applied.

For any ARA event for which a participant fee will be levied, a date may be set after which the fee is due regardless of attendance or non-attendance.

If an expected attendee cancels after the stated date or simply fails to show up, the fee if already paid will not be returned; if not already paid, the person will be invoiced. Also anyone attending but not paid up will be invoiced.

If anyone defaults on such a payment, until settlement is made, the ARA will not:

• accept registration for that person in any other ARA sponsored training or
• development event
• make any expense or other payment to the person
• register the person with RCA

It is hoped that it will never be necessary to resort to the punitive aspects of this policy but, without some provision for enforcement, it becomes toothless and therefore meaningless.

Click here for the Draft ARA Screening Policy

The Canadian Concussion Collaborative recommends that all sport organizations and sport event organizers implement a concussion management protocol.  In support of this, the Alberta Rowing Association has adopted this Model Concussion Policy and Protocol; produced and provided by the Alberta Concussion Alliance(ACA) to aid Alberta’s sport community in realizing this goal.

The Alberta Rowing Association encourages all individuals involved in the sport of rowing to educate themselves on the subject of concussions. The ACA is a leading resource that will be maintained and that will be reviewed regularly for updates to the protocol. Please see http://www.sportmedab.ca/ab-concussion-alliance for more information.

This document is designed to provide guidance to Alberta Rowing Association member organizations responsible for operating, regulating or planning rowing based events with a risk of concussion to participants in the development, establishment and implementation of policies, procedures and programs for the prevention, early recognition, treatment, and education of sport and recreation related concussions and head injuries.

The ARA Concussion Policy can be found here.

Supporting Documents:

Concussion Action Plan
Concussion Management
Return to Learn Guidelines
Return to Play Guidelines

• The person claiming expenses must fill out an ARA expense form.
• Receipts must be presented for all items. Note: Where a credit card is used, please provide the receipt as well as the credit card slip.
• The claimant is responsible for submitting a clear and complete claim. This is necessary so that ARA books can withstand inspection or audit.
• Note that neither the Treasurer nor the ARA Executive Assistant (or Provincial Technical Director etc.) is responsible for researching an expense claim or compiling or submitting the necessary documents.

Unless under exceptional circumstances all expenses must be pre-approved by the ARA Executive.
**Exceptional circumstances are where the claimant did not have reasonable opportunity to request or executive to provide prior approval.**

In the case of such exceptional circumstances, the request should (preferably) be brought to and considered at the next Executive meeting.

However, if payment is a matter of urgency:

• The Treasurer may decide on an expense claim if less than $100.
• Should the Treasurer initially decide against such a claim (or feel unable to solely approve),
• he/she will initiate the process as for claims of over $100 (see next).
• For claims of $100 or more, the Treasurer will poll the Executive by email. The decision will be by majority of those Executive members responding within 96 hours.
• Such claims arising from a single occasion or event can not be split into smaller amounts (i.e.< $100) so as to circumvent the normal approval process.

Where the executive did not have reasonable opportunity to give prior approval but the claimant had reasonable opportunity to request it, the claim will be considered by the board at the next board meeting.

*With the exception that for road travel to ARA Board meetings, expenses may be paid on the basis of a standard per km rate. If claimed, an ARA expense form must be used and it is expected that car-pooling will be employed where practicable.*

Download Expense Form