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
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.