Ontario overnight summer camp pivots focus to offer unique getaway

Severn Bridge, Ont. -

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.