Just reading the queries re snow day cancellations from my office here in
Whitby, Canada, where it is actually fairly warm (1oC) and sunny. You have
our snow!
In the spirit of international cooperation and museum educator solidarity, a
group of us got together virtually and compiled a few snow day policies from
a random selection of museums and galleries across Canada (some with LOTS of
snow!). Hope it's a helpful collection. Keep warm and safe!
Cheers,
Chris
M. Christine Castle, Ph.D.
Consultant, Museum Education and Interpretation
Whitby, Ontario, Canada
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Snow Days Policies Response to query on Canadian museum listservs 12/3/10
we just let them cancel and encourage them to rebook when the weather is
better. This happens to us occassionally. It's not a problem.
Cheryl, Shilo, Manitoba
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We typically follow the school board's policy for inclement weather. So, if
the school board has shut down or cancelled classes then we follow suit. We
keep an ear to the ground on this report via local radio news station and by
checking online. This responsibility is the Development person's in our
case, as she does the actual school bookings. She then communicates with
the rest of staff via email or phone call. Any school programs booked here
are then dealt with by her, and re-scheduling arrangements are made.
That is a nutshell version.
Hope it helps!
Chandra. Kitchener, Ontario
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Normally, we charge full pop for cancellations the day of the booking, but
if it's weather related, we don't as it's beyond their control and we don't
want kids being put at risk. We just re-schedule and accommodate them as
best we can for another date. It has happened that we have no free dates
left in a school year, so in those cases, there's nothing we can do. We've
never had problems with the way we handle this.
Helen Booth, Jordan, Ontario
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Safety First! If the roads are not safe for travel and/or if vehicles
arenšt properly equipped, drivers donšt have experience in the snow and ice,
roads arenšt properly cleared, or if folks donšt have the proper footwear
and clothing, they should stay home. This applies to staff as well as
visitors. Living near Vancouver, BC we are often faced with a similar
situation. Our winters more closely resemble those of Great Britain than the
rest of Canada and when we do have the occasional relatively mild snowstorm
we come to a halt while the rest of Canada laughs at us.
Tia, BC
________________
At the Simcoe County Museum, we don't charge a cancellation fee for bad
weather. If a school has to cancel because the buses aren't running (and it
happens several times a year to us) we just work with the teachers to
rebook.
It works well for us, and the teachers appreciate it!
Kelley, Ontario
_________________
Our policy is that we are unable to reschedule a visit that has been
cancelled as a result of inclement weather. We have to take this position
because we are usually fully booked. That being said, if we do have an
available day, we will offer it to the school - we are not totally without
feeling!!
I am thinking that as we are used to snow, we are probably less likely to
have as many cancellations as they are experiencing in Britain right now!
Jan, Ontario
___________________
Cancellation Policy for Education Programs
The museum requires due notice of cancellations (by phone, e-mail, fax, or
in person) 1 week in advance, except in cases of inclement weather.
Failure to do so will result in the CONTRACT or INSTITUTION (as appropriate)
being charged 50% of the originally cited Program Fee.
For a program cancelled with more than 1 weeks notice, a $20.00
administration fee will apply, unless the program is rescheduled within the
same school year. In the case of school bus cancellation due to inclement
weather, this fee will not apply if a school reschedules the cancelled
program within the same school year.
Christina, Ontario
_________________
What I generally do when booking groups either on site visits or visits
which I make off-site is book a date plus a storm date. Should a group be
cancelled due to weather we move the visit to the storm date. Setting two
dates with one being the alternate date can also be useful in other
circumstances as well (e.g. illness)
Katherine , New Brunswick
___________________
We donšt charge. Will be interesting to see what others do
Donna, Alberta
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It's not a formal response per se, but I always cancelled if I thought I
wouldn't want my mother driving in those conditions. We would make up
programs at the end of term.
Claire, Ontario
___________________
What we do at Museums of Mississauga is to take our guidance from the school
boards. IF school buses are cancelled, then we also allow the group to
cancel without penalty if the reschedule. It also means our staff can just
listen to the radio and know whether or not the program is a go.
Usually the cancellation penalty is 25 percent charge, but honestly we
rarely use it as even if buses aren't cancelled if they feel unsafe
travelling, we just encourage them to re book.
Hope this helps,
Annemarie, Ontario
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1. I have a few thoughts on this- here in the Yukon we never close
because of cold or snow, this is because all it takes is for one person to
arrive and have no shelter from the weather. With that said not all
communities are prepared for these conditions and I realize this. I guess
the biggest thing is the safety of the group coming to the centres and this
can be a real challenge if they are not use to weather conditions like this
and this is the reason for the cancellations.
2. I would recommend re-booking right away. That way the centres are
not going to lose the money and the participants will not lose out on the
experience.
3. Most policies that I am aware of here in the Yukon, there is a 24
hour cancellation requirement or a % (10%-25%) of estimated fees are
charged.
Hope this helps or if it has raised more questions let me know.
Tracey Anderson, Yukon
_____________________
Because we live in a northern climate (Fort McMurray, AB), we are used to
the weather causing delays, etc. If a group has to cancel due to weather,
we encourage them to re-book, and will accomodate them at another time that
fits their schedule and ours.
Shall we send them some snow shovels?
Nancy, AB
_____________________
Although we have a cancellation policy, the City of Toronto museums do not
penalize for uncontrollable situations (snow, all the teachers at the school
are sick....). We always try to rebook the class.
BTW. Even in situations where it is clearly the teachers fault (They
forgot!) we work with the principal to ensure that cancellation fees paid
are applied to a credit that any class at that school can use for field
trips during the current school year.
Given how tight school budgets are we never want to penalize students for a
disorganized teacher!
Happy holidays
Elizabeth, Toronto
______________________
At the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and Museum we appreciate that
weather can be an Act of God that no one has control over. Not only snow,
but severe cold. We accept weather related cancellations with no questions
asked. We do encourage a group to re-book their tour or event, but
understand that the elements take precedence. The tables have been turned
on occasion. We have had to cancel tours ourselves because our staff cannot
get to the facility in a timely manner.
Sheila, SK
______________________
We follow the bus cancellations from the school board. If the bus runs are
cancelled we expect that the program will be cancelled as well - without
penalty. However, we cannot assume that the program is cancelled until we
actually hear from the teacher or school secretary. This is important to
remember as the schools remain open despite the bus cancellation. In our
case there are several schools within walking distance of our museum. Most
of the nearby schools are not "bus" schools meaning that the majority of
students walk. As a result, we have had some programs go ahead despite the
fact that buses were cancelled within the city. The key is to listen to
the bus reports and communicate with the school. I typically call the
school as soon as I get in to work on those "snow days" to confirm if it is
a go or not.
Our winter programs are usually fully booked with a wait list of classes
wanting to get in. As a result, we normally rebook education programs that
were cancelled due to snow on Mondays which is the only day of the week that
we are normally closed to the public. The teachers are always very happy
to know that we have a plan in place to reschedule their program and avoid
disappointing their students.
Melissa, Ontario
_____________________
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