TORONTO -- Premier Doug Ford has given summer camps in Ontario the green light to reopen this year.
Ford made the comment during his visit at a vaccination clinic in Mississauga on Sunday. He said camps will be able to operate this summer due to more Ontarians getting their COVID-19 shot.
"The more people that can come out (and get their jab), the quicker we can open up. We are going to open up very, very soon. And I have to say one thing about the summer camps. July 3 is usually the time they open. They're opening up this year because of the great work that these people are doing," the premier said.
Ford did not share specific details, but a spokesperson for his office said they are working on a reopening plan with the chief medical officer of health.
"We will provide more detail on what the weeks ahead will look like before June 2nd when the latest extension of the stay-at-home order expires," the spokesperson said.
Many parents and operators have been anxiously waiting for an announcement from the province on summer camps. Many of them sent letters to Ford in the past few weeks, urging him to reopen summer camps. More than 1,500 Ontario pediatricians also wrote a letter to the premier last week, also pushing for the resumption of camps, which they say will "give our children a ray of hope this summer."
Following Ford's remarks, the Ontario Camps Association said in a statement posted to social media that they are thrilled with the news.
"We look forward to working closely with the government and Ministry of Health in the coming days to communicate guidance and further details to our camps and their communities," the statement read.
