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COVID-19: Ontario closes Provincial Parks

Toronto, ON., March 19, 2020 — Today, the Ontario government has announced that all of its provincial parks will be closed to the public from March 19, 2020 until April 30, 2020 in order to keep Ontarians safe.

Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, and Jeff Yurek, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, issued the following statement in response to COVID-19 developments:

“As COVID-19 continues to quickly evolve, we want to ensure public safety and the well-being of our visitors and staff in Ontario’s provincial parks. In order to assist the province with its efforts to keep Ontarians safe during this time, all provincial parks will be closed to the public from March 19, 2020 until April 30, 2020. This includes car camping, backcountry camping, roofed accommodations, day use opportunities and all public buildings.

Current visitors to provincial parks will be required to vacate by March 19, 2020. Any person or group with a reservation for arrival up to April 30, 2020 will automatically be provided a full refund with no penalty.

Meanwhile, the Bruce Trail Conservancy has stated that “All organized hikes across all 9 Clubs are being cancelled until April 30, 2020.”

But they also say that the Bruce Trail itself remains open.

It is important to “Keep in mind that some access points, washrooms or visitor centres operated by our partnering conservation organizations (like parks and conservation areas) may be closed.”

It is strongly advised if going on hikes, to keep the group numbers down and to keep your distance from any fellow hikers.

Ontario Parks continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation carefully. Please visit OntarioParks.com for the most up-to-date information.”

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As penalty-free refunds will automatically be issued, the public is asked to avoid canceling reservations online, as this may trigger an automatic penalty.