TORONTO -- Toronto will be beginning a “phased approach” to opening its community and allotment gardens in light of the province’s decision to allow garden centres to reopen after months of being shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking on Monday afternoon, Toronto Mayor John Tory said that after consulting with the city’s medical officer of health, community and allotment gardens will begin to reopen in the next two weeks.
The city’s 81 community gardens, which Tory said produce between 2,000 and 5,000 pounds of fresh food annually, will start to open up this week on a location-by-location basis.
The allotment gardens will start to operate the week of May 11.
The gardens typically open in early May for planting, but were previously ordered closed by the provincial government as part of their efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Tory said that when Ontario Premier Doug Ford decided to reopen garden centres, he also asked local medical health officials to provide advice on what would need to be done in order for local facilities to begin operations.
“Due to that tight space and the volume of people who hold the seasonal permits, there are challenges with physical distances as well as regular cleaning and disinfection standards that must be met,” Tory said. “Signage at each location will identify expectations for use, including the practice of physical distancing and good hygiene.”
Permit holders and community groups who operate the gardens have been contacted, city officials said, and will be provided with a list of public health measures they will have to take in order to use the property.
Tory added that officials will be carefully monitoring the situation, as the gardens will be the first areas to reopen since the pandemic closures were announced.
“We will be watching how this reopening works and using it to help guide future activities of this time,” Tory said, while adding that it will be up to every individual to ensure they are practicing the proper health measures.
Last week, Ford announced the first wave of businesses to reopen, focusing mostly on outdoor workers such as landscapers as well as construction.
Earlier on Monday, he said that it was “unfair” that big-box garden centres are fully operational while smaller businesses are limited to curbside pick-up and delivery services.
Ford added that he had “good news” for smaller gardening businesses coming later this week.
