The provincial government made an about face on Saturday afternoon, re-opening playgrounds for use only a few hours after they were shut down throughout Ontario, much to the pleasure of Mayor Cam Guthrie, who was calling for the restriction to be reviewed.
"I'm extremely pleased that the province has reversed their position on this," he said in text response to GuelphToday. "We'll now await the updated regulations to see how they impact our operations."
Guthrie spoke out about the parks prohibition, as well as granting “police overreach” powers to stop people and vehicles at random, shortly before Premier Doug Ford tweeted about playgrounds being reopened on Saturday afternoon.
“These new measures have come across as very punitive in nature to a citizenry that is following the rules,” he said, referring to new measures announced late Friday afternoon and put in place Saturday morning by the provincial government in an effort to combat rising COVID-19 numbers. “We are still reviewing things as the regulations trickle in from the province.”
Those measures included limiting outdoor gatherings to people of the same household – those who live alone can join with another household – and all recreational facilities including sports fields, playgrounds and golf courses are closed.
In addition, essential retailers have to further lower capacity limits to 25 per cent, indoor religious services will be limited to 10 people, and non-essential construction will have to shut down.
To enforce the restrictions, police and bylaw officers can stop motorists and pedestrians to ask them where they live and why they're not at home.
Those rules will be in force throughout the stay-at-home order, which was extended by two weeks and now remains in place until at least May 20.
Guthrie said he’s reaching out to various government officials calling for the new restrictions to be reviewed and repealed. In the meantime, he encourages everyone to abide by them.
“Our hands are tied. These are provincial regulations that must be adhered to by law,” he said. “We need to have everybody following the rules, because they are the rules, but while we’re following the rules, the public needs to know that I’m going to bat for them to see if these rules can be changed.”
“Everyone understands the seriousness of this virus and everyone understands that we all have to do our part. And when we do our part locally, we are helping, especially with healthcare system capacity issues across the province,” he said.
“We have been told for a year now that outdoor is the safest place to be and it is for mental health reasons for our children, mental health reasons for parents we need to get out to enjoy these playgrounds.”
Within hours of the provincial announcement, Guelph Police Service issued a news release noting it has no intention of conducting random vehicle or person stops to check compliance with the stay-at-home order.
Guthrie said the same applies to city bylaw enforcement officers.
In an effort to lift spirits, the mayor launched a series of contests for youth via his social media platforms on Saturday. The first encourages children up to age 12 to create their own indoor playground, fort or obstacle course and submit photos or video for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate for Simply Wonderful Toys.
“I’m trying to be positive for the kids in town,” he said. “I would encourage the community to get around those types of things while we wade through these tough times. We have to still find ways to be positive.”
Contest entries should be emailed to [email protected] or posted to Guthrie’s social media feeds.
Weekly contests will be held throughout the stay-at-home order, with winners announced on the mayor’s social media feeds each Saturday.
The prize will change every week, Guthrie said, noting they will all come from “small businesses who are struggling” in an effort to support them.
