Toronto reopens dog parks as COVID-19 restrictions ease

Thestar.com
May 19, 2020
David Rider

Toronto dog owners rejoiced Tuesday after city staff reopened off-leash enclosures and prepared to let people once again play -- within limits set by the Ontario government -- tennis, soccer and other specified sports.

But parents of human pets -- the kind who love to climb on still-closed playground equipment -- can for now only gaze enviously through fences at the furry frolics.

All but one of the city’s 70-plus dog parks were opened with new signage telling owners to stay at least two metres apart. Concerns over the spread of COVID-19 do not extend to dogs playing together.

For now, the off-leash area at Colonel Sam Smith Park in Etobicoke is remaining closed to protect a Killdeer bird nesting site.

Premier Doug Ford’s government said last week that off-leash areas would be removed from a closure order. Mayor John Tory told the Star city officials had to read the wording in a detailed order Tuesday before acting.

Dog enclosures were among park amenities ordered shut in March, first by the city and then provincewide, after public health officials warned that about the spread of the unpredictable new coronavirus.

Tory publicly scolded dog owners who removed tape and used the parks anyway, leading city staff to resort to locks and warnings of fines.

The mayor says he knows some dog owners will still break the two-metre rule as Torontonians continue to get sick and die from COVID-19.

“But I’m hopeful that, since the early time, people have better accepted the need to physically distance,” he said, “especially once they realized somebody could have the virus without any symptoms and still spread it.”

City staff are studying the provincial order to see how Torontonians can resume some activities at outdoor city sites.

“I know the list has soccer fields, but not for group or team play, football with restrictions, frisbee golf, tennis -- but singles, not doubles,” Tory said.

“We’re deciding how, in an orderly way, we can reopen those in the coming days as we get signage and have the rules.”

City staff expect to release a detailed list Wednesday.

Not affected by stage one of Ontario’s reopening plan are playgrounds, which remain closed under provincial and city orders, and sports including basketball, with hoops in parks and schoolyards remaining off limits.

“There has been concern about the virus’s ability to linger on playground equipment, and the difficulty managing kids on a playground,” Tory said.

“With basketball, I guess one person playing alone there’s no risk, but with the inevitable game there’s contact, so that’s something we have to think about.”

Pet owners celebrated on social media by posting photos of dogs that have missed off-leash playtime. A Richmond Hill resident tweeted at Mayor Dave Barrow: “Please open the dog parks. Don’t make us move to Toronto.”

The provincial order also allowed most retailers with street-facing entryways, including strip malls, to reopen to customers but with physical distancing limitations.

Tory told the Star late Tuesday afternoon that the city had not fielded a single complaint about businesses or shoppers breaking the relaxed rules.

“A lot of people have been doing online shopping so I don’t think they needed to rush out, and also some businesses chose not to reopen today,” he said. “I was not expecting a mass surge of people downtown.”