THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro says he remains hopeful the province will take a regional approach to reopening – and strongly urged Premier Doug Ford’s government to consider allowing the region to reopen outdoor recreational facilities sooner, rather than later.
Mauro said Northwestern Ontario’s isolation and current low COVID-19 case numbers suggest reopening golf courses and tennis courts aren’t likely to have an adverse effect on the District of Thunder Bay’s situation, adding more and more people are getting vaccinated each and every day.
“I think any jurisdiction in the province that is in the situation that we are in, you would expect would receive that kind of consideration from the province,” Mauro said.
The mayor said he believes because the population is much denser in southern Ontario, a regional approach can’t work as well in that part of the province, as people will simply get in their vehicles and drive to a neighbouring district to find the services they seek.
“If we let Kingston play golf, people from Toronto may drive to Kingston to play golf. We have to assume that’s why (the government) has taken the position they have. But clearly we all appreciate people are not going to drive to Thunder Bay to golf from the GTHA or from any of those hot spots,” Mauro said.
“They’re not going to jump on a plane and even if that was to be the case, there are ways that you can accommodate and ensure that’s not occurring.”
Mauro said it could be as simple as having to prove residency within the district to be allowed to use recreational facilities.
He pointed out golf, for example, was deemed safe last summer, with clubhouses closed and indoor gathering not permitted.
The city owns and operates a pair of golf courses and also offers tennis and pickleball at municipally owned courts.
A Toronto Star report says the Ford government has voted to extend its state of emergency beyond May 19 and golf course closures until at least June 2. The first move would permit the province to also extend its stay-at-home order, which is currently scheduled to expire on May 20.
The province on Thursday reported more than 3,400 new COVID-19 cases. Thunder Bay, however, only announced five new cases, leaving the district with just 45 active cases. The health unit has reported single-digit cases for the past six reporting days, and is at its lowest seven-day, per-100,000 case count since early January, at 22.01, which is below the threshold the city would need to return to the provincial framework in the Yellow Zone.
