Let them splash: Ontario reverses course, allows splash pads to open this weekend

OTTAWA – Ontarians looking for respite from the heat will be able to cool off at a splash pad after all.

The province says they can open starting Saturday along with golf courses under its staged plan to loosen COVID-19 health restrictions.

The reversal comes after the mayors of Ottawa, Brampton and Mississauga called on Ontario Premier Doug Ford to give splash pads the green light to operate instead of waiting until next month.

Playgrounds in the province are open, but Ford’s recently released reopening plan kept splash pads closed until rules to allow more outdoor activities were set to relax June 14.

With temperatures above 30 C, some splash pads in Ottawa had started to reopen before the province released its plan.

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie took issue with keeping slash pads closed because she says there are residents living in apartments with no air conditioning or outdoor space.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2021.