Change of plans for roughly 200 campers amid COVID-19 outbreak at Huntsville camp
An overnight camp in Huntsville was forced to cancel for two weeks at the start of the camping season due to a COVID-19 outbreak among multiple staff members.
Camp Wabanaki on Lake Vernon was meant to welcome roughly 200 overnight campers for the first time in two years Monday, but in a statement to CTV News, Interim CEO Mike Ennis said the virus likely spread while staff were in their final training week.
At least eight staff members with the YMCA-run camp tested positive.
Ennis said they are working closely with the health unit to reduce further exposure.
Families were notified of the cancellation on Saturday.
"We understand this news was difficult and disappointing for camp families, and we have sincerely apologized to them for this unavoidable impact on their summer plans," Ennis added.
The interim CEO said impacted families would receive a full refund and noted roughly half had rebooked into later camps.
"We intend to reschedule our Leader-In-Training program, which is a month-long session, to a later date this summer," he concluded.
Officials said Camp Wabanaki would reopen on July 18.
Meanwhile, disease specialist Dr. Sohail Gandhi said while COVID-19 isn't prevalent, it is part of the new normal.
"We will have outbreaks of COVID at some point in the future," he said. "I suspect they'll be sporadic because we're a highly vaccinated population right now, but from time to time, unfortunately, we can expect to hear stories like this."
Dr. Gandhi recommends anyone at high risk, including seniors and those with illnesses that affect their immune system, take measures like masking and social distancing to reduce their risk of infection.
Ontario allowed overnight camps to restart last July after being closed during the pandemic.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.