AlgonquinLakes wrote:

JoeScmoe wrote:

rgcmce wrote:

I think JoeScmoe is bored.  Perhaps he should go fishing to practice his trolling.

 . He wouldn't go kayaking if it we’re illegal .

Not to pick on you Joe (welcome to the board btw) but this quote is precisely the problem we’re facing in my opinion. Just because it isn’t explicitly forbidden right now, doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. I don’t know what the correct answer is situation by situation, possibly there are some scenarios where traveling a short distance for a day paddle makes sense, but in general, these days, the best option is the one that has someone traveling the least, regardless of the perceived risk or legality.

These days I go to a grocery store once a week, alternating between Costco and Loblaws. The perceived risk of spreading COVID seems much higher there than if I were to pack up various foods and gear that I have on hand and go camp in the backcountry, perhaps stopping at one gas station on the way. Mostly I feel what is right is staying physically distant. This is exactly what I’ve been striving for during all my Algonquin adventures. Seems there are a lot of people who are much less able to physically distance from friends and family. The bans and roadblocks are put up because of these people. If you are doing your part to constrain the contagion then you shouldn’t feel guilty.
    Everyday I travel drive from near downtown to the outskirts and enjoy a nature hike, either with my senior citizen loner-dog or also with my 2.5 year old daughter who is excited to see the fast yellow trains, the slow red trains, the hawks, woodpeckers, frogs, deer prints, recently built camps and old camps in a under-utilized patch of woods. Hardly anyone would venture here before COVID and it’s the same now. Those that live in rural areas are are more fortunate than those that live in cities but it doesn’t mean city dwellers can’t both enjoy the outdoors and be socially responsible. And if some people are socially responsible and enjoying themselves in the backcountry then that makes me happy. People should be allowed to enjoy themselves during this pandemic because if they are not being part of the problem then society’s one size fits all solution shouldn’t prevent them from enjoying the many benefits Canada has to offer.

Hi Shawn. Thanks For sharing that. Unfortunate but necessary I think.

Thanks Joe. Insightful as always.

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To give additional context to my comments above... They came in response to Ford saying he's looking to extend the Emergency measures legislation out another 28 days.

JoeScmoe wrote:

There are other options. Car rentals are going for next to nothing. People can get rides from members from within their families. Walking, biking, etc. There are no rules that say transit is for essential service workers only.

As of today, we still have international flights coming in and out of the country.

Shutting down transportation will save lives- point blank... But we don't. We just accept what the government is telling us no matter what.

I do agree that we should be imposing even further restrictions when it comes to transit and flights, but you can't just shut it down. I would love to see an announcement that public transit is only for essential workers; I think that would be a great thing to implement. But your other suggestions really aren't ideal solutions:

- Car rentals assume that people taking transit actually have their license and insurance and know how to drive, not to mention that it's an expensive option even at 'affordable' rates. And what about the human interactions involved with renting a car?

- Getting rides from family members assumes that these people don't live alone, and that their family members have access to cars. And if they live in separate households, would we really be accomplishing anything by now making twice the amount of people leave their houses multiple times per day?

- Walking assumes people live within walking distance to their work. If they're taking transit in the first place, they're likely not within walking distance.

- Biking assumes people have access to a bike or can afford / has the ability to buy one, knows how to ride a bike, has a place to store it both at work and at home, etc.

All of those might be ok compromises for certain people, but lots of people rely on transit. They do not have the luxury of the other options.
 

I don’t think we’ll be paddling until July but I hope you’re right about may.

Regarding Trudeau, I’m not surprised in the least. He’s a privileged guy, like many others we all know that believe rules don’t apply to them and are in a position where the rules actually don’t apply to them. As I understand it his wife even posted pictures of them to social media at the cottage.

Ford seems to be trying to set a good example. Hopefully that remains.

It is starting to look like the animals of the forest are about to have their greatest summer ever.  "Where are all the bi-peds and those big floating hats they wear all the time?"