‘A ton of complaints’: Vancouver rehab facility looks like a gym, but is allowed to stay open

A Vancouver fitness facility is getting dirty looks and has been repeatedly reported for staying open, appearing to some as defiant of B.C.’s public health orders.

People walking past Alive Fitness and Wellness in the Fairview neighbourhood might see people exercising and even lifting heavy weights.

The provincial health order issued Dec. 22, 2021 states “An adult must not participate in exercise or fitness in a workout gym or fitness facility on either an individual or group basis.”

But the owner of Alive says everything is above board.

“Speaking with Vancouver Coastal Health, and having a lengthy conversation with them, we were able to be classified as a health centre versus a fitness and a gym centre,” explained Andrew Ao.

The facility is also exempt from requiring proof of vaccination for visitors and is permitted to operate at full capacity, though Ao says they monitor how crowded it gets.

“We’ve got tons of complaints,” he admitted. “We’ve had a lot of people look in and just didn’t have the happiest faces. And we understand. A lot of people are very concerned with the rising cases and they’re looking for the safety of the community. So when they see a facility like ours not complying with the order, they’re reporting us.”

“We’ve had the police called, we’ve had WorkSafe called, we’ve had Vancouver Coastal Health called. They’ve showed up at our door, and we just explained who we are what we do. And we are complying with an order, which have permitted us to stay open.”

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There have been so many complaints, the company put a sign on its doors to explain that they are allowed to stay open.

The hope was it would stop people from reporting them.

“But it hasn’t,” Ao said. “A lot of people just stand outside with their cameras and record. It’s =challenging for us and also for our members. But at the end of the day, we do understand, and we operate out of grace with it.”

A sign posted on the door of A.Live Fitness and Wellness in Vancouver on Jan. 4, 2021, explaining to passersby that they are allowed to stay open amid COVID-19 restrictions. (Crystal Laderas, CityNews photo)

Ao argues there is a difference between what happens at his facility compared to a fitness centre.

“Every single person here has their own program [and] what we do is we overlook and oversee that program to make sure that whatever they’re doing is restoring the body back to wholeness and healing, and that whatever they’re doing isn’t causing more injury,” he explained, adding rehab isn’t only for physical injuries.

“If you look at the definitions of what rehab is, it’s just simply restoration. And every single day, we’re bringing the body out of its natural alignment, out of its natural state, or causing more harm or dysfunction to the body, whether it’s on a physical, mental or emotional or on a cellular level.”

But passersby will see people lifting heavy weights in the facility, which isn’t usually associated with rehab or healing. Ao defends heavy lifting as an important part of rehab and therapy.

“How do you know that you’re truly healed if you don’t challenge the body? How do you know your back pain is truly gone unless you challenge the body? How do you know your knee pain isn’t truly gone … until you run again? And so that’s why it’s part of the rehabilitation.”

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Studios that offer boxing and other combat sports are also allowed to remain open.

Ao doesn’t think it’s fair that gyms have been asked to close.

“Yes, the cases have been going up. But … there hasn’t been substantial data to actually show shutting down gyms will help stop the spread,” he said.

“What they have done is they’ve now pulled the rug under a lot of business owners. They’ve left them high and dry.”

More than 40,000 signatures have been collected on a change.org petition calling for the province to reconsider.

“The decision to close fitness centres without consideration for any sort of additional options is both erroneous and a disservice to the community that has obeyed the Provincial Health orders without pause. Rather than a knee-jerk reaction, the province should work with the industry to explore alternative measures,” the petition reads in part.

Ao notes gyms are often a place where people find a sense of community and improve all aspects of their health.

“If you really dive into the science behind what stress does to the body, you’ll understand why people come to the gym, not only just for the physical but their mental health and well-being.