THUNDER BAY — You can still take a hike at Boulevard Lake, or walk through Vickers Park, but you can't sit on a park bench, let your child use a playground structure, or take your pet to any city off-leash dog park.
These are among the new restrictions in place as a result of Monday's provincial government order that closes all outdoor recreational amenities in a further effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
The order closed all public and private outdoor facilities across Ontario, including playgrounds, sportsfields, basketball and tennis courts, off-leash dog parks, skateboard and BMX parks, picnic areas, park shelters and community gardens.
Trails and green spaces in parks remain open for walkthrough access only, however individuals must remain at least two metres apart at all times.
Cory Halvorsen, Manager of Parks and Open Spaces for the City of Thunder Bay, said "basically all that's left open are the use of open green spaces and our trail network. Any other features within the parks such as playgrounds or courts are essentially closed at this point."
In an interview Tuesday, Halvorsen defined green space as "just an open area of grass. It could have trees in it as well. It's just something that doesn't have a structure that is essentially there to bring people together."
He said the city plans to enforce the ban, but for now will focus on getting the word out through the media and with signage.
"We've got signs going up on the playground units. We're also looking at additional signs for skateboard parks and dog parks. Those should be going up shortly," Halvorsen said.
City staff will patrol parks "to tell people directly, if they haven't been informed, that we all need to be following these instructions, and maintaining physical distance when we go inside the parks," he said.
Halvorsen added that the city plans to continue to follow the province's directives going forward, and has no intention of implementing additional closures on its own.
