Editor’s note: Scroll down for further information on this topic, including news just in from the OPP.
With spring weather and a long weekend looming, some people get itchy feet. But the advice is that the best way to have a great weekend is to Stay Home! Stay Safe!
Does this apply to a cottage?
You may think you have the choice to stay safe at the cottage, but the official advice to Stay Home applies to everyone.
Prompted by questions from readers, The Current contacted six neighbouring municipalities in this neck of the woods to clarify their advice to seasonal residents/cottagers.
Every one of them replied with a consistent message: Stay Home, Stay Safe. Their online and social media messaging matches what they tell callers who phone in. In each case, they told The Current their communications to all residents matches advice from federal, provincial and county governments, as well as from local health units.
They pointed to the COVID-19 messaging on their websites and social media platforms, including messages from staff and Council members. (Scroll down for links)
Some of them referenced the message from the Federation of Ontario Cottage Association which Madawaska Valley Mayor Love summarized as follows:
“Seasonal residents and cottagers, please carefully consider the good advice provided by the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Association before making a decision to shelter at the cottage. All non-essential businesses in Madawaska Valley are closed. Essential businesses and services are stressed by supply shortages and reduced capacity due to physical distancing and self-isolating. There are not enough Family Doctors for the year-round population and our rural healthcare system has no extra COVID-19 capacity. Life has changed here just as much as it has back home.”
Hastings Highlands Mayor Vic Bodnar said:
“For whatever reason you are here – welcome home. Please be aware that the normal vacation season is not yet underway, and many people and businesses are not yet prepared for an early influx of people. Combined with that and because of the COVID- 19 problem our resources are already feeling the strain. We recommend that you take the same precautions you would in the city.”
Killaloe-Hagarty-Richards Mayor Janice Visneskie-Moore has some practical suggestions for both seasonal and year-round residents:
“Every year we look forward to the return of our seasonal residents and visitors. However, at this time our supplies are limited and cannot take the additional strain. If there were any kind of accident or emergency, our first responders here would be limited in providing additional assistance with the current challenges we are facing under COVID-19. At the same time that we are asking seasonal residents not to visit, we are asking our residents not to travel. When residents leave and come back, they are potentially becoming carriers of the virus when they interact with others…. If you are concerned about your cottages perhaps [contact] a neighbour who lives here or you could hire a contractor to look in on your cottage to satisfy the needs of your insurance company.”
OPP #1 EASTER LONG WEEKEND TRAFFIC SAFETY TIP: “STAY HOME”
For any Ontarians contemplating a trip to the cottage or other dwellings for family gatherings over the Easter Long Weekend, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is reminding people to practice physical distancing and stay home.
“The OPP acknowledges that this is a very difficult time for people. While our officers typically expect large volumes of traffic ahead of the Easter Long Weekend, in light of the current situation, the OPP thanks in advance all Ontarians who do their part to help stop the spread of COVID-19 by staying home,” said OPP Chief Superintendent Rohan Thompson, Provincial Commander, Highway Safety Division.
With roads now bare and warmer temperatures in store, drivers who do need to travel are being cautioned to not let the nicer weather negatively influence their driving behaviour and to obey all traffic laws.
Dickson,B. OPP East Region(2020,Apr.8) OPP #1 EASTER LONG WEEKEND TRAFFIC SAFETY TIP: “STAY HOME” [media release]
Some contractors refusing to open cottages
Madawaska Valley residents may have seen a recent social media post shared from a Muskoka area business, Briggs Pumps & Plumbing Limited, saying: “Having witnessed a surge in the arrival of many seasonal residents who are demonstrating a lack of respect for our current situation, myself and several plumbers and property maintenance companies in Huntsville and Lake of Bays have reached an unequivocal agreement. In support of the municipal and provincial directives, we will not open seasonal cottages/residences. This is to aid in limiting the spread of the virus, and prevent overburdening both our essential services and health care systems, even to the detriment of our own livelihoods. When the government deems it safe and appropriate, we will re-evaluate our position, always with the health and well being of our year round residents, families and community in mind.”
As reported by muskokaregion.com
Click on the links below for COVID-19 related information on the municipal websites:
Brudenell Lyndoch and Raglan Killaloe-Hagarty-Richards
Hastings Highlands Madawaska Valley
North Algona Wilberforce South Algonquin
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I suggest that Ms. Purdie reads the article below:
‘They are here’: Weekend warriors dodge COVID-19 and shaming by hiding out in cottage country by Joseph Brean of the National Post (4/15/2020).
BTW: How many pit stops and public washrooms visits does a weekend warrior grouping make before arriving from say Burlington to their MV cottage?
I guess the “we are all in this together” does not include cottagers, we are good people, good friends and good neighbours.
We support local charities, hire local trades, and buy from local small businesses. It sure seems that you like us when you need our financial support. May I assume that if I am not welcome for three months, may I deduct three months charges from my property taxes , taxes that support the schools and hospital.
I guess true colours come out in a crisis.
Thank you so much; you provide an important source of information for us all.
The advice from the Federation of Cottagers and the elaborations from Mayors Visneski and Love need to be heeded to as prudent in these challenging times as some vacuous airhead (with bobbin in a sewer) from the GTA or another “sophisticated jurisdiction” clamors that : It is legal (vis a vis unwise) and presents the argument that they pay taxes here and deserve the privilege of using their seasonal cottage at any time and under any circumstances as they are taxpayers.
It does not take a rocket scientist to survey the demographics of the MV and glean that over 50% of the population here are over 55 and highly susceptible to the devasting effects of Covid-19. One factor that probably plays into this scenario is the lack of meaningful long-term prospects for a large majority of our youth and MVDHS graduates who migrate to the big cities for employment. Thus, plus the fact there is a gentrification phenomenon occurring here skews the age curve to the highly vulnerable.
IMHO: the local St. Francis medical service facilities are servicing about 15,000 full-time residents of the MV and can be overwhelmed quite easily with an avalanche of virus cases as overcapacity is soon reached. The epicenters of the virus in Ontario are the GTA area and if one listens to Dr. Fauci (versus WHO & Dr. Tam of Canada) the risks of spreading can be very rapid if containment is not enforced. For example, Premier Legault of Quebec has already put in place screening at border points. Of course, we do not have the tools to impment the same at the local level but it highlights the urgency at hand.
One can easily take this argument to severlal other dimensions beside the overcapacity situation at medical service providers in the MV – such as our grocery stores are already facing shortages of several critical items (not TP) such as the lack of chickens and hamburger at the local grocery chain yesterday. Semi-essentials like potatoes and eggs were very expensive and limited in quantity.
Thanks to the heroic efforts of Premier Ford we may soon get some more universal testing in Ontario and a supply of much needed masks, ventilators and cleansers which can mitigate some of the velocity movement in the Ovid -19 spread.
In conclusion, we welcome our seasonal cottage friends:
BUT now is not the time to visit and please wait for the curve to flatten as our medical facilities, para-medics and ambulances plus food and pharmaceutical stores have the capacity to service the local population at this juncture of time.
Let us all hope and pray this virus will be contained shortly but till then show some respect and synergy for your rural neighbors.
I know that it is difficult to not be able to come to your cottage and yes, you do pay taxes on your properties but as a year round resident, I am asking you to please stay home this weekend. You are asked to protect your families but that not only includes your city and urban families but also you rural families. Staying at home now might mean the difference between coming to the cottage in the summer or not. We all have to be safe so help us keep safe also. Thank you💙