Pickering has announced that in accordance with the province’s reopening announcement, the city’s skatepark, public tennis courts, basketball courts, and pickleball court will open by end of day yesterday.
The province announced that splash pads can re-open. The city would like to open its splash pads, but water valves need to be turned on by Region of Durham (pending crew availability). Once turned on, we will secure a contractor to flush the lines, said a city statement adding: “We’ll keep residents posted.”
Oshawa
The City of Oshawa said it will open seven splash pads effective Saturday, May 22 at 10 am.
The following splash pads will open for the season effective May 22 for community members to use while following government orders, health authority guidelines and adhering to the posted signage:
- Baker Park
- Easton Park
- Glen Stewart Park
- Lake Vista Park
- Mackenzie Park
- Northview Park
- Rotary Park
Splash pads will operate daily from 10 am to 8 pm. For more information on splash pad locations, visit www.oshawa.ca/splashpads.
City staff will monitor activity on a rotating basis at splash pads and will clean and disinfect the splash pads during each visit. Community members are advised to respect posted signage indicating capacity and physical distancing.
Community members are advised that at this time, the splash pad at Delpark Homes Centre has not yet opened for the season due to the time required for due diligence work and to perform inspections.
In addition, the following other City outdoor amenities will also reopen effective Saturday, May 22:
- Tennis and Pickle ball courts
- Skate Parks
- Basketball
- Sports fields
Community members using outdoor amenities are reminded to adhere to safety protocols, government orders and health authority guidelines, including:
- maintaining physical distancing of at least 2 metres (6 feet) or more between persons;
- not using the amenities in groups of more than five (unless the gathering is comprised of members of a single household); and,
- respecting posted signage on guidelines for use.
Whitby
Boat launch and tennis courts to open to the public on May 22, and outdoor gathering limits will also be expanded to five people (who are not in the same household) at this time.
As a result, the Town of Whitby has begun the process of reopening and readying a number of local outdoor recreational amenities for casual public use, but not for permitting or organized use. This includes:
- Port Whitby Marina
- The public boat launch
- Tennis, basketball and pickleball courts, sports fields and more
When enjoying outdoor amenities, please continue to follow public health advice: maintain physical distancing, properly wear a mask, wash your hands, and stay home if sick.
At this time, the following provincial orders remain in effect:
- no gatherings of more than five people
- splash pads are still closed
The Town continues to review updates from the Ontario government to assess their local impact. For ongoing updates visit whitby.ca/covid.
| Amenity | Anticipated Reopening Date* |
| Beaches | Remain open |
| Benches | Remain open |
| Off-leash dog park | Remain open |
| Baseball diamonds | Saturday, May 22 casual use only, no permitting |
| Lacrosse boxes | Saturday, May 22, casual use only, no permitting |
| Pickleball courts | Saturday, May 22, casual use only, no permitting |
| Port Whitby Marina
| Saturday, May 22 Open to boaters for fuel or dockage by water. Looking to join the marina as a boater? Email marina@whitby.ca to arrange an appointment.
|
| Public boat launch | Saturday, May 22 |
| Public Pier at Promenade Lake Park | Saturday, May 22 |
| Sports fields (soccer, multi-use areas) | Saturday, May 22, casual use only, no permitting |
| Tennis courts | Saturday, May 22, casual use only, no permitting |
| Skate parks | Saturday, May 22 |
| Basketball courts | Tuesday, May 25, casual use only, no permitting |
| Outdoor fitness equipment | Tuesday, May 25, casual use only, no permitting |
| Indoor recreation | Remain closed to the public at this time |
| Municipal facilities (including Town Hall) | Remain closed to the public at this time |
| Picnic shelters | Remain closed to the public at this time |
| Splash pads | Remain closed Splashpads are part of phase one of the Roadmap Reopening Plan and are expected to remain closed until at least mid-June. |
| Whitby Public Library | Facility remains closed, the library is offering contactless pickup and digital collection remains open. Libraries are part of phase two of the Roadmap Reopening Plan and will be permitted to open with 25 per cent capacity with restrictions in place. |
* Use only permitted when maintaining physical distance of at least two metres (or six feet) between yourself and others living outside your home; dates may change based on weather and unforeseen circumstances.
Ajax
Town of Ajax operations staff will begin reopening recreational amenities from Friday, starting with tennis and basketball courts.
“We appreciate your patience and reopening of all amenities should be complete by end of next week,” said a town statement.
“Please continue to follow all public health guidelines while outside enjoying the beautiful weather this weekend,” it added.
Clarington
The Municipality of Clarington is reopening its outdoor spaces for public use following all provincial direction. Starting May 22, a group of up to five people will be allowed to enjoy Clarington’s sports fields, beaches, boat launches, and skate parks for a variety of activities.
“Following Ontario’s announcement, we are slowly reopening our outdoor amenities as allowed. We still must be cautious and follow all the rules. This means stick to a group of five only, wear a mask and continue to maintain a physical two-metre distance. Safety is still paramount. We don’t want to take two steps forward, only to be forced to take a giant leap back,” said Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster.
So, what’s open as of Saturday, May 22, 2021? Here’s a list:
- Sports fields will reopen for public use with no organized sports or play.
- Boat launches. Bowmanville boat launch will remain closed due to safety concerns; repairs are being scheduled.
- Beaches will be open for groups of no more than five people. Please follow all beach direction, including no cooking and no campfires. The Municipality has supplied portable washrooms for public use. Please remember pets are not allowed on our beaches. Please keep the area clean and garbage-free.
- Tennis and pickleball courts. Please note, the Orono Park tennis and pickleball courts will reopen on Monday, May 24; they are currently under repair.
- Basketball courts.
- Skate parks.
- Splash pads. Four locations only: Port Darlington East Beach Park, Orono Park, Rickard Neighbourhood Park, Rosswell Park. Note that it may take some time to reactivate the splash pads and there may be unforeseen technical difficulties.
Municipal Law Enforcement Officers will be patrolling our outdoor spaces to promote physical distancing and educating the public on the latest set of Provincial rules regarding outdoor gatherings. Safety is still critical as we continue to manage Covid-19.
The province announced its three-step roadmap to reopen; if things go well, we hope to enter Step 1 around the week of June 14, at which point we will be reopening other outdoor amenities and starting to issue sports field permits. Please be patient; the Covid-19 regulations may change, and the municipality may be forced to pivot.
“We want to thank our residents for your continued support throughout this pandemic. Our community has rallied, coming together to endure some extremely trying times. Hope is here, and so is the nicer weather. Together, step-by-step, we will slowly and safely return to a new normal,” added Mayor Foster.
why is Pickering left out of this article?
The first two paras are about Pickering