Parks and campgrounds open in eastern Ontario as COVID-19 restrictions eased
As part of Step One of Ontario's COVID-19 reopening on Friday, campgrounds, overnight camping, short-term rentals, and Ontario Parks are now fully open.
Campers wasted no time getting out of the city and to their sites, some that were booked months in advance. At Fitzroy Provincial Park in Ottawa's west end, Dave MacMillan was willing to wait a second longer once Friday morning arrived.
“We were out here at 10 o’clock. I called and said how early can we come, they said as soon as you can, so we were here at 10 o’clock setting up, ready to go," said MacMillan.
With trailer in tow, MacMillan and his wife were happy to get out of the city. After having two previous bookings cancelled as well as bookings Wednesday and Thursday refunded, the couple were happy to finally get outdoors.
"It’s a little frustrating when you can watch people at Costco and there’s a thousand people there, but you can’t go camping with your wife on a 60 foot by 100 foot campsite," says MacMillan.
Private campsites are also thriving on the first day of reopening. At Bayview Resort in White Lake, owner Walter Geisser says it feels good to be back open.
"We prepare weeks and weeks to have the customers here and now we are there," smiled Geisser. "Everyone is excited."
The resort near White Lake offers trailer sites and cottage rentals. Geisser says every available space this opening weekend was booked except for one.
"People called steady, seasonal sites, overnight sites, and we just can’t accommodate anymore," said Geisser, adding that every weekend for the rest of the summer is pretty much booked up. When the resort is full there can be anywhere from 500 to 600 people on site.
Randy and Loretta Dean were the first ones in the park at Bayview Resort this weekend, enjoying watching the other trailers fill in around them.
"This is probably our favourite spot, we come here about three, four times a year," says Randy.
"We didn’t think they were going to lift the ban, so we just assumed that we’re not getting in," adds Loretta. "So I cancelled my vacation at work, so I’m working remotely here."
And at one of the sixteen cottages on site, Angie Tilbury is happy the ban on camping was lifted just in time for her family to make their yearly trip.
"It’s been a very long time, so yes we’re very excited to be back at the lake for the weekend."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.