On December 4, 2020 the College was informed of a positive case of COVID-19 in our olds campus community. The impacted individual is self-isolating off-campus according to AHS guidelines. The College has enacted a deep sanitization of all rooms the individuals had contact with. 

The College is working with Alberta Health Services and the impacted individual to determine who was in contact with the confirmed case. Staff or students identified as a close contact of the confirmed COVID-19 will be contacted by Alberta Health Services. 

For those staff and students required to be on campus, we encourage practicing physical distancing, regular hand washing and wearing masks while on campus. If staff or students have not been identified as a close contact of a confirmed COVID-19 case but develop symptoms as listed on the daily screening tool, please self-isolate at home and complete the AHS COVID-19 online assessment tool or call Health Link at 811  as soon as possible to arrange for COVID-19 testing.

We are committed to the health and safety of our campus community, we have created a COVID-19 Dashboard that includes the latest details about confirmed cases among our students, faculty and staff who are working and studying on-campus.

Olds College Confirmed Cases Dashboard

We are committed to the health and safety of our campus community, we have created a COVID-19 Dashboard that includes the latest details about confirmed cases among our students, faculty and staff who are working and studying on-campus.

* COVID-19 positive cases Campus Exposure

A confirmed positive COVID-19 case in a building means that an individual either worked, attended class or otherwise spent a significant amount of time in this building. One case might span more than one building.

The following actions are taken when there are positive cases on campus :

1. Areas occupied by the individual during infectious period are contained, cleaned and disinfected
2. Contact tracing is conducted by AHS with support from the College and anyone determined to be a close contact of the individual is contacted by AHS and instructed to isolate. Risk to others present or working in the zones is considered very low

Please refer to exposure criteria established by Alberta Health, for more information on “close contacts”.

Individuals on campus should take precautions in all spaces, and work under the assumption that an infection is possible. Please continue to take measures to prevent the spread of COVID while inside and outside of the workplace. This means taking steps to protect yourself and others by practicing good hygiene, physical distancing and monitoring for symptoms.

State of Public Health Emergency

On November 24, 2020 the Government of Alberta issued a state of public health emergency. Mountain View County and the Town of Olds remain on the enhanced watch list. As a result, many new measures have been put in place that we must follow, including:

• no indoor social and family gatherings are permitted in any setting (private homes, public spaces or workspaces)

  • Indoor close contacts must be limited to people in the same househol

  • People who live alone can have up to the same two non-household contacts for the duration of the restriction.

• no more than 10 people for outside social gatherings, and 

• employees working from home where possible. 

To see the full list of enhanced measures please visit the Government of Alberta’s COVID-19 mandatory measures webpage. 

Mandatory Mask Directive on Campus

Non-medical masks or face coverings that cover the mouth and nose are mandatory for all on-campus indoor public spaces, including classrooms, hallways, washrooms and other common-use spaces. Masks are not mandatory if you are working alone in an office or cubicle or where a barrier is in place. Masks must be worn outside if social distancing protocols can not be met.

Updated Travel & Meeting Restrictions

• Olds College employees are advised when possible to meet over the phone (conference) or electronic web meetings, etc.

• Meeting with external partners in-person should only occur for meetings that are deemed essential to College operations. It is important that these meetings be held virtually, if possible. If in-person is required masks must be worn and social distance protocols must be followed. 

• Olds College business related travel, outside of Canada, is not permitted. 

• Olds College business related travel, outside of Alberta, is not permitted.    

• Olds College travel related to professional development is not permitted.  

• Any Olds College employee choosing to travel outside of Canada for personal reasons is required to self isolate as per Provincial guidelines and work from home.  If working from home is not approved, this period of self isolation will have to be taken as vacation days. 

  • If staff participate in the International Border Testing Pilot Project, they must not return to campus until they have had their second test and received a negative result. 

• Students travelling outside of Canada must follow all self isolation requirements and other protocols of the Government of Alberta Travel Restrictions. 

Building Hours Effective Sept. 8

• Learning Commons: Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

• Campus Store: Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

• Office of the Registrar: Monday to Friday 8:15 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

• Health & Wellness Centre: Monday to Friday 8:15 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

• Elements Dining Hall:

  • Monday to Friday: 6:30 - 8:30 a.m., 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., 4:30 - 7:30 p.m.

  • Saturday and Sunday: 7:30 - 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., 4:30 - 7:30 p.m.

• CLC Fitness Centre:

  • Monday to Friday (by appointment only): 5:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.

  • Saturday and Sunday (by appointment only): 6 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.

• Olds College Brewery: Thursday to Saturday noon - 6 p.m.

• Retail Meat Store: Monday to Friday noon - 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

• The Hive: Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m.

Visitors to Campus

When possible we encourage all meetings to happen virtually. If a visitor or guest is required to come to campus they must:

• Sign in at one of the eight designated locations:

  • Office of the Registrar,

  • Campus Security,

  • Human Resources,

  • Office of the Executive,

  • Campus Facilities,

  • Smart Agriculture Innovation Center,

  • The Development Office, or

  • The Learning Commons.

• Attest to completing the Alberta Health Services Self-Assessment

• Wear a mask

Winter 2021 Classes

While classes will continue to look a little different for the winter 2021 term, the Olds College team is working hard to create experiential learning opportunities for our students.

For winter 2021, classes will be offered predominantly in a remote learning environment with some exceptions. All programs have gone through an academic delivery model review to determine the most appropriate delivery method, this includes:

• Remote delivery - classes and labs will be held virtually.
• On-Campus - classes and labs will be in-person and on-campus, while adhering to social distancing and safety protocols.
• Remote with required/mandatory in-person, on-campus labs - classes held virtually with mandatory on-campus, in-person labs to allow for hands-on learning.

Emails were sent out to students registered for winter 2021 classes. All emails were sent out by Nov. 6, 2020. If you are an Olds College student and you do not receive an email about class delivery for the winter term, please email info@oldscollege.ca or call 1.800.661.6537.