Ontario Premier Doug Ford will not order provincial beaches to close despite incidents of major overcrowding. Ford made the comment on Friday after being asked about crammed beaches in Wasaga Beach on Canada Day. The Town of Wasaga Beach Mayor Nina Bifolchi slammed the premier on Thursday, saying his government “mismanaged” the reopening of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, which led to “reckless” overcrowding. “The Government of Ontario has mismanaged Wasaga Beach Provincial Park during the reopening and it is frustrating for residents and visitors” Bifolchi said. As a result, the town announced on Thursday it will close the sand-covered portion of Beach Drive on July 9 and reduce the number of beachfront parking spots by 50 per cent immediately.
“People know what the rules are and yet they clearly ignored them all for the sake of a day at the
“We aren’t going to be closing any Ontario provincial beaches right now,” Ford said. “Then again, I just ask the people for common sense, you go to a packed beach, find another place if it’s jammed packed.”
Mayor John Tory is urging Toronto residents to practice a little “common sense” and to seek out less crowded areas should they head to a beach to cool off this weekend. The heat wave comes after large crowds packed Cherry Beach and Woodbine Beach in recent weekends, prompting concerns about a lack of physical distancing.
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