You can go to your cottage, Doug Ford says, but ‘don’t bring a whack of people up’

Thestar.com
May 8, 2020
Robert Benzie

And in the eighth week, Ford said go north, but don’t multiply.

Amid a pandemic of biblical proportions, Premier Doug Ford has decreed that cottagers should enjoy their seasonal residences on the Victoria Day weekend that starts May 15 --but in a restrained fashion.

“Don’t bring a whole whack of people up. It’s not the party weekend it’s been in the past,” Ford told reporters Thursday.

“Go up there and check things out, try to bring your own home supplies up there,” he said.

In a statement earlier in the day, after a 90-minute conference call with rural mayors, the premier implored Ontarians to play it safe and responsible by not socializing or making too many pit stops en route.

“Yesterday afternoon I had a very productive discussion with the mayors of cottage country about the ongoing impacts COVID-19 is having on their respective municipalities,” said Ford.

“While Ontario is vast and regions are facing the challenges of COVID-19 differently, it is more important than ever that we stick together and fight COVID-19 as one team,” he said.

“With the Victoria Day long weekend and cottage season just around the corner, we need to stay vigilant.

“We are still battling a terrible virus, so we are asking seasonal residents travelling to their cottages to practice the same public health measures as usual, including no public gatherings, avoiding non-essential travel as much as possible, and continue to practice social distancing.”

Ford emphasized that the mayors appealed to him to discourage day-trippers or renters from visiting Muskoka, Haliburton, Lake Erie and other bucolic regions.

“Cottage-country residents are known for their hospitality and normally they would be welcoming tourists with open arms right now. This year, however, they are asking visitors to help them fight the spread of COVID-19 and hold off travelling to these regions until it is safe to do so,” he said.

“I know Ontarians are eager to enjoy the great outdoors, but there will be plenty of long weekends to come.”

Some rural mayors have been urging city dwellers to stay away because there have been relatively few coronavirus cases outside the Greater Toronto Area and other urban centres, and they fear small-town hospitals could be swamped.

Last month, the medical officer of health in Haldimand Norfolk issued a rare order under the provincial Health Protection and Promotion Act forbidding Lake Erie cottagers from visiting their seasonal homes, a move Ford criticized.

In March, Collingwood council voted to ask the province to restrict Ontarians from travelling outside their home communities during the pandemic due to concerns about the resources being strained in the southern Georgian Bay area.

It has not been illegal for people to visit their cottages under the state of emergency that has been in effect since March 17.

But Ford has been urging everyone to stay home as much as possible to stop the spread of the virus.

The premier emphasized again Thursday that he is acting on the advice Dr. David Williams, the chief medical officer for health.

Also Thursday, Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca wrote to Ford urging the legislature to hold online sessions similar to those in the House of Commons when Queen’s Park is back in session on Tuesday,

“The federal government has held sittings online --it’s time for the province of Ontario to follow suit,” he wrote. “We would suggest four question periods be held every week: two virtually and two in person.”