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Red or grey? Please stay away from Collingwood rec facilities

Committee endorses CAO’s direction to limit residents of municipalities higher on colour-coded provincial framework from entering local recreation sites
EddieBush
Eddie Bush Memorial Arena in Collingwood. Erika Engel/CollingwoodToday

If you live in a red or grey zone, please stay away from Collingwood’s recreation facilities.

The medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, Dr. Charles Gardner, issued a letter to all the municipalities in the region last week strongly recommending they prohibit access to their recreational facilities by anyone residing in a red or grey zone.

As part of the agenda for their corporate and community services standing committee meeting on Monday night, council members on that committee were asked to endorse chief administrative officer Sonya Skinner’s direction that Collingwood should temporarily limit the use of its facilities to those whose primary residence is within the same or lower level of the provincial framework as the Simcoe-Muskoka region.

Currently, that’s any region in green, yellow, or orange status.

“This is one where it’s not a regulatory requirement, it’s one where he’s strongly recommended that we do this,” said Skinner.

Skinner said that after looking at the numbers and consulting with recreation staff, this was a recommendation the town was prepared to implement.

“There are processes where we’ve switched to phone registration so we can ask questions as they register,” she said. “This is the right thing to do at this time.”

While Skinner has been given the authority under the emergency declaration to make the decision without council input, she said she felt it important to still include council in the decision.

“It is always best for committee and council weigh in whenever possible,” she said.

Under the province’s COVID-19 response framework, there are five colour-coded levels of restrictions: green, yellow, orange, red, or grey (lockdown).

Toronto and Peel are in grey and neighbouring York Region is under red restrictions. Therefore, residents of those regions would not be permitted in any Collingwood recreation facility.

The committee voted to recommend endorsing Skinner’s direction.


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Jessica Owen

About the Author: Jessica Owen

Jessica Owen is an experienced journalist working for Village Media since 2018, primarily covering Collingwood and education.
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