Toronto residents celebrate with patios, non-essential shopping this weekend as Ontario reopens
There were long lines outside non-essential stores and patios were packed in Toronto on the first weekend after the province eased COVID-19 restrictions.
The province moved into Step 1 of its reopening framework on Friday allowing the return of dining on patios and non-essential in-store retail.
“We have been full since we’ve opened our doors,” said Justin Cheung, owner of Mira Mira Diner on Queen Street East. “It’s really going to be the make or break for a lot of restaurants to that have suffered for the past year and a half.”
After months of being limited to take-out, the restaurant’s patio has been at capacity since opening at noon. Current restrictions limit four people to table.
The province is also permitting non-essential retailers to operate at 15 per cent capacity and with no limitations on what goods they can sell.
“Our normal life is back, we need that,” said one shopper at a women’s clothing boutique in the Beach.
For the second day in a row, there were long lines at a big box stores. Customers waiting outside a Winners in Leaside telling CTV News Toronto that the wait to get in the store was well over an hour Saturday morning.
“We just got to have a social experience for once, it’s a good thing,” said one shopper.
TORONTO OPENS POOLS THIS WEEKEND
As COVID-19 restrictions ease in the province allowing outdoor activities to resume, the City of Toronto opened ten outdoor pools on Saturday, weeks ahead of schedule.
Pools are operating at 25 percent capacity and reservations must be made on the city’s website. Swim time is also limited to 45 minutes.
A select number of spaces at each outdoor pool location will be held back on a first-come, first-serve basis to ensure swimming remains accessible to people with limited access to the Internet.
“I’m delighted that we’re able to open up outdoor pools ahead of schedule now that the city has moved into Step 1 of the provincial reopening,” Mayor John Tory said in a press release.
“I encourage Torontonians to reserve their swim time and take advantage of the city’s outdoor pools and amenities throughout the summer.”
According to the city, more than 23,819 reservations were made in the first two days that the system was up and running.
The 10 outdoor pools that opened are:
- Alex Duff – 779 Crawford St.
- Monarch Park Pool – 115 Felstead Ave.
- Heron Park CC – 292 Manse Rd.
- Grandravine CC – 23 Grandravine Dr.
- McGregor CC – 2231 Lawrence Ave. E.
- Parkway Forest CC – 59 Forest Manor Rd.
- Pine Point – 15 Grierson Rd.
- Riverdale Park – 550 Broadview Ave.
- Sunnyside – Gus Ryder – 1755 Lake Shore Blvd. W.
- West Mall – 380 The West Mall
The remaining 49 outdoor pools will open for the season on June 19.
-- With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.