Toronto cancels all 2020 holiday camps, winter programs
Posted December 17, 2020 12:06 pm.
The City of Toronto is cancelling all planned 2020 holiday CampTO camps and winter instructional programs to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 as case numbers continue to rise.
Refunds will be automatically issued to all, according to the city, and registrants do not need to request their money back.
The cancelled programs include the ‘Learn-to-Skate’ and ‘Instructional Ski’ programs.
In a release, the city says the decision to cancel the camps is based on recommendations from Toronto Public Health and chief medical officer Dr. Eileen de Villa.
The cancellation of holiday camps will have no impact on drop-in opportunities at outdoor ice rinks that are permitted to remain open during the lockdown.
The holiday camps were scheduled to run at 30 locations beginning on Monday to align with the winter school break. Approximately 706 people had registered to participate in this years camps.
“At this critical time, we must continue to follow public health advice,” says Mayor John Tory in a statement. “It is deeply regrettable that we cannot offer holiday camp and instructional programming for kids this year, but the City is committed to taking action to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
Decisions to open ski hills at Centennial Park and Earle Bales Park are currently under discussion and will be contingent on provincial orders. The city says more information will be provided in closer to the end of the month.
The city says that although CampTo programs were able to operate successfully over the summer months, the daily case counts are much higher now.
Toronto is currently in the ‘Grey-Lockdown’ zone of Ontario’s COVID-19 response framework. The 28-day lockdown is set to end on Dec. 21 though all signs point to restrictions remaining in effect through the holidays and into the new year.
Tory has been calling for more stringent restrictions through the holiday season.
“I think we need to do more and not less. I think it needs to be regional in nature so that we leave people with fewer options as to places they might go,” said Tory on Wednesday.
