Barrie's Open Air Dunlop program officially launches for second year
As more businesses across Ontario begin to reopen after months of lockdown, many in Barrie's downtown are celebrating the return of Open Air Dunlop.
The program, which was first launched last year by the Barrie BIA, was initially scheduled to start on June 19. However, with the province entering step one of its Roadmap to Reopen ahead of schedule, city council and the BIA decided to launch the program this weekend.
"It's super important to get people downtown supporting our local businesses, they just reopened, and they can't wait to see everyone," says Kristen Eatch, the project manager for the BIA.
As a result, Dunlop Street is closed between Mulcaster and the Five Points Intersection on Saturdays.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.The sun was shining, and the weather was warm Saturday as Open Air Dunlop began a week ahead of schedule.
With Dunlop St. closed to vehicle traffic between Mulcaster St. and the Five Points Intersection, the initiative encourages people to shop at local businesses and enjoy a meal on restaurant patios that have been closed for months.
"It's super important to get people downtown supporting our local businesses. They just reopened, and they can't wait to see everyone," said Kristen Eatch, Downtown Barrie Business Association Project Manager.
The program, which was first launched last year by the Barrie BIA to successful results, was initially scheduled to start on June 19. However, with the province entering step one of its Roadmap to Reopen ahead of schedule, city council and the BIA decided to launch the program this weekend.
Throughout the day, crowds flooded the street, and the lineups started early. It didn't take long before patios were packed.
"It's been hard on everybody, obviously. Everyone has been locked in their homes for the last four months, and just seeing people out, it's giving everyone a new lease on life," says Colin Johnson, General Manager of North Country restaurant.
Business owners downtown welcomed the return to a bit of normalcy, eager to open their doors after months of being shuttered.
"After such a long time closed, it's just such a relief to be able to open and have my staff with me and try to get back to a little bit of normal," said Tracey Baker, owner of ZuZu Fashion Boutique.
Open Air Dunlop will run every Saturday through the end of summer.
With files from Katelyn Wilson.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.