Ontario overnight summer camp pivots focus to offer unique getaway
For the second year in a row, summer camps in Ontario are adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sparrow Lake Camp in Severn Bridge, Ont. sat empty in 2020, but this year with so much uncertainty leading into the summer, the decision was made to pivot from its traditional program to renting cabins to families in need of a unique getaway.
"We've sold out five of our sessions now, and the sixth is one cabin away," said the camp's executive director Brendan Turner.
Several of the families staying in the cabins said they were there to escape the GTA. The cabin rentals also attracted families looking for an alternative to expensive summer vacations.
"Campgrounds are not available. Cottages are very expensive. How do you get out of a house when you've been in a house for a year?" said Jennifer Barrow, who is staying in a cabin with her three young children and husband.
"This just fell in our lap, and it's perfect," she added.
The camp offers everything from canoeing, paddle boarding and rock climbing and for many children staying there, it's their first time at a traditional overnight summer camp.
Special COVID-19 measures are in place to ensure safety, including fewer campers.
"All of our activities are outdoors, arts and crafts are in a screened-in pavilion, so we're able to do it much more safely and comfortably than we would if we had 500 kids in and out over the summer," said Turner.
Sparrow Lake Camp said the decision to open the cabins to families has been so positive it may consider making it a permanent fixture when traditional overnight camp for children isn't in session.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
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.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
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.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.