Pointed messages to cottage owners to stay in their home communities have motivated members of local, provincial, and federal governments to weigh in publicly.
But such messages have sparked debate in Collingwood and The Blue Mountains where part-time residents are a significant portion of the population and tax base.
Collingwood Mayor Brian Saunderson pushed out his own message via his social media feeds, which also went out through the town’s social media later.
“My message for people in Collingwood is don’t leave Collingwood,” said Saunderson in an interview with CTV on Friday and in a post on his Facebook page. “If you’re outside of Collingwood, stay home, don’t come to Collingwood.”
Last week (March 25) council passed a motion in a 5-4 vote to have staff ask the province to “restrict movement from large urban centres into small urban centres to prohibit the derailment of our small community resources.”
Coun. Kathy Jeffery brought the motion forward, saying she was looking for a statement from the province prohibiting travel between communities for day trips or overnight visits.
She and others who voted in favour said they didn’t intend to prohibit taxpayers (including part-time residents) from coming to their homes in the community.
The story generated significant debate from readers who left scores of comments on CollingwoodToday’s Facebook page.
“Good idea, not practical,” said Barbara Canning, adding there are some residents who live in Collingwood and commute to their jobs out of town.
Glen Card said he was “on the fence” about the idea.
“It’s a good preventative way to help keep this virus out and flatten the curve … however, we also need to keep our eyes on the horizon ahead. This would majorly affect our tourism in the days, weeks, months after this pandemic has passed,” said Card.
Paula Copeland said she was all for the restrictions.
“The address on your driver's licence is where you should be staying,” she said, adding she thought the hospital would already have its hands full treating residents. “Imagine what would happen if the cottagers come up here and need to be assessed or treated?”
Murray Kobe said he’s a Wasaga Beach resident. He wondered if the restrictions would prevent him from coming to Collingwood for shopping trips.
On Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford asked urban residents to avoid heading to their cottages during the COVID-19 outbreak. The premier added he had received calls from several mayors and residents on the issue.
Ford said retail stores and hospitals in smaller communities don’t have the capacity of those in urban settings.
Collingwood’s mayor said he’s continuing to push residents to “stay home.”
“My message has not changed. I have stated many times that residents of Collingwood, be they full-time or part-time, are welcome here,” said Mayor Saunderson. “My message to all residents of Ontario, whether they live inside Collingwood or outside Collingwood, is to stay at home.”
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit's Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Charles Gardner, said yesterday (March 30) during a media briefing he, too, is recommending people opt to stay in larger urban communities over smaller ones.
“It would be of interest to everyone if people would stay in their primary home location,” said Gardner, adding larger communities have a greater health care capacity.
The Blue Mountains Mayor, Alar Soever, wouldn’t go as far as saying part-time residents should stay away.
“I am very hesitant to tell people who pay taxes here that they can’t come up here,” said Soever, noting the province has asked people not to move into smaller centres.
“If these part-time residents are coming up here, they should bring their supplies with them,” said Soever. “And, they should recognize that they are putting a burden on our medical system, should they require medical assistance that it won’t be as available as it would be in the city.”
The Blue Mountains Mayor noted half the community’s tax base comes from part-time residents, and many of the town’s full-time residents were also once part-timers.
“You never want to divide a community. Everyone that is here puts some kind of burden on our medical system and our infrastructure,” said Soever. “We have one community and it is made up with everyone.”
Dr. Jesse Guscott, a Collingwood medical doctor, took to Twitter on March 29, posting a thread to weigh in on the debate.
Guscott is the simulation program director at Collingwood General and Marine Hospital, and is a medical educator.
He prefaced his comments by disclosing he lives and works in a recreational community, and has a cottage two hours away.
“I ask that when we are talking to our part-time residents during this crisis, we do so with respect, sensitivity and kindness,” he Tweeted. “Screams of ‘go home’ reflect the worst in us.”
He noted a ‘seasonal resident’ doesn’t see him or herself as a tourist, and will often enrich their adoptive communities through volunteerism, donation to hospitals and charities, and environmental stewardship.
“They may see their cottages as sanctuaries where they can keep their families safe and isolated in a place they love,” Tweeted Guscott.
He said it was important to clearly state concerns about a lack of medical resources, complying with physical distancing, and frequent travel between communities.
“In times of resource limitation, it’s natural to want to wrap our arms around our own to protect them from the ‘other,’” he said. “Let's be careful who we are otherizing.”
Guscott finished his thread by stating it makes sense and is not wrong to ask people to stay home, but stressed it should be done with sensitivity “for the part-time members of our community who we love, who love us, and whose return we will one day wholeheartedly welcome.”
- With files from Jennifer Golletz
