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From the "I saw this on Facebook" rumor mill:
The Ontario Government is set to ease restrictions on golf courses, campgrounds and other seasonal and recreational activities soon, NEWSTALK1010 has learned, but the premier's office says all decisions are yet to be finalized.
According to government documents obtained by NEWSTALK1010, the proposed date to open golf courses is this Saturday, along with other recreational businesses such as marinas, campgrounds and businesses that board animals.
NEWSTALK1010 is told a decision has not yet been made on off-leash parks.
The premier's office however says that no final decisions have been made and are subject to change, with Premier Doug Ford expected to lay out plans for the next reopening phase of the economy tomorrow.
Ford said Tuesday the government was bringing "good news" in two days, laying out the framework for Stage 1 of the government's three-stage framework.
Each stage is set to last two to four weeks, with Ford saying the announcement will be regarding low-risk businesses, seasonal operations and other essential services.
Ford also said they were in discussions about increasing the limit on small gatherings.
"If we're going to move it from five to 10, but that will be the Chief Medical Officer's call," he said.
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I highly doubt campgrounds will open for overnight use. They may be referring to some conservation areas that have day use activities. But if that's the case, I'm going to be quite annoyed as my spring trip, which was supposed to start tomorrow, was already cancelled and refunded.
I'm curious to see the swarms that hit up areas like the park this weekend for free use, and hoping we come out of the long weekend without a major spike in infections a week or two from now.
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TripperMike wrote:
....and hoping we come out of the long weekend without a major spike in infections a week or two from now.
That's the part that I don't like about the stages lasting 2-4 weeks. With the time it takes to get infected, the period before becoming contagious (to further infect other people), and then the long incubation period, if we make a mistake we won't notice for a minimum of 2-3 weeks, most likely longer.
It won't be noticed within 1-2 weeks unless you have a crazy super-spreader event on Day 1 of easing restrictions.
I would feel a lot more confident with a minimum of 4 weeks buffer between each phase of easing restrictions. We'll be midway through the second phase before finding out whether phase one was actually successful or not.
But I do think now is the right time to start easing restrictions the way that they are. Make curbside pickup available for more businesses, let people golf and go to cottages, etc. Things that are naturally social distancing. Would just like to see how that goes for 4+ weeks before prematurely opening up further.
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As soon as 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, 2020:
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Hopefully backcountry will be in the next phase. Providing this phase goes well.
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Bullet #3 applies to private parks and campgrounds.This means trailer parks and KOA-type campgrounds. Its referring to preps for the season and the access of full-season RV's.
Information current as of May 14, 2020
"At this time, camping and other activities are not permitted at any provincial park or conservation reserve. All buildings and facilities including washrooms, water taps, campgrounds, backcountry campsites, roofed accommodations, playgrounds, and beaches continue to be closed."
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So ... is the park open for day trip paddling? I was looking at the list of permitted activities on the website And I didn’t see it, but it’s not specifically excluded either. Has anyone heard one way or the other?
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So ... is the park open for day trip paddling? I was looking at the list of permitted activities on the website And I didn’t see it, but it’s not specifically excluded either. Has anyone heard one way or the other?
Ontario Parks says paddling is ok
edit: I don't know if the rules are different for Algonquin specifically though
Last edited by trippythings (5/16/2020 8:56 am)
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I noticed yesterday that Algonquin had vault and regular comfort stations noted as open with restrictions. Surprising but nice to see as i was having trouble understanding what visitors would do otherwise. I suppose vault toilets are somewhere I'll be happy to wear a mask : ) Nice to see that paddling is open as well as i thought that was being specifically excluded which didn't make much sense.
ed: was just looking through the Ontario Parks Facebook discussions, 2 days ago someone asked if all Algonquin Access Points were open and the response was that most were open but to check with them - just a heads up if you're thinking of putting in somewhere with few nearby alternatives:
"Most access points at Algonquin are open.
If you're wondering about a particular access point, we suggest sending a DM to our Algonquin team for the most up-to-date information:"
Last edited by GordK (5/18/2020 11:42 am)
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I am hopful in the next week or so Ontario Parks will make an annoucement about opening campgrounds and the backcountry.....
Fingers crossed.
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Can anyone please tell me, is the park closed due to a pandemic? Is the park open now and will it be open in September? A friend says that it was opened a month ago, but I would not want to go so far and be quarantined.
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Can anyone please tell me, is the park closed due to a pandemic? Is the park open now and will it be open in September? A friend says that it was opened a month ago, but I would not want to go so far and be quarantined.
The park is indeed open and busy! Some facilities at the developed campgrounds are not operating, such as showers and some offices, but for the most part it's open. I've been told they're telling everyone with RVs to use their own septic and the like.
As for the backcountry things are great. You book online and print your permit so you just head in with your confirmation on the dash and in your bag (joy!). Basically, everything you can want to know is online at
Best of luck, and let us know if you have any other questions. A lot of us have already been into the park at least once since it opened in June.
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Can anyone please tell me, is the park closed due to a pandemic? Is the park open now and will it be open in September? A friend says that it was opened a month ago, but I would not want to go so far and be quarantined.
The park is indeed open and busy! Some facilities at the developed campgrounds are not operating, such as showers and some offices, but for the most part it's open. I've been told they're telling everyone with RVs to use their own septic and the like.
As for the backcountry things are great. You book online and print your permit so you just head in with your confirmation on the dash and in your bag (joy!). Basically, everything you can want to know is online at
Best of luck, and let us know if you have any other questions. A lot of us have already been into the park at least once since it opened in June.
Thanks for the useful information. I will start preparing for the trip now.
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Could a moderator either remove Terris from this group or delete its signature. Not sure this is even a real person. Pretty sure the goal of these posts is not to find out more about APP.
Last edited by MartinG (8/20/2020 4:20 pm)
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Martin are you implying that there are people on the internet that are not honest or trustworthy?
Hard to believe
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Terris Bodler's IP address leads me to believe he's from the Kansas area. I hope he realizes the border is currently closed due to Covid.
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