by: taylor blewett
ottawa’s mayor is pressuring ontario’s premier to allow splash pads to open this weekend, when a loosening of pandemic rules will permit access to golf courses, tennis courts and other outdoor amenities, once again.
in a tweet at doug ford, jim watson asked the premier to reconsider the decision to leave splash pads off the reopening list.
“it’s going to be over 30 degrees this long weekend,” watson pointed out, imploring others to retweet his message and email their member of provincial parliament, before concluding the tweet with “#splishsplash.”
in a news release, the city of ottawa informed the public that “splash pads will not be opening as previously hoped this weekend” because of the provincial announcement that splash pads (along with outdoor pools and wading pools) will be allowed to open under “step one” of a new provincial reopening plan. the province currently expects to enter this phase the week of june 14.
select outdoor recreational amenities will be allowed to reopen on saturday across ontario ahead of “step one,” including tennis, pickleball and basketball courts, driving ranges and golf courses, soccer and other sports fields, and skate parks. physical distancing from non-household members will be required, and team sports aren’t yet allowed.