Will Toronto’s fun summer programs stick around as COVID restrictions ease?
People exercise in the warm weather in Toronto, on Sunday, May 3, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
The City of Toronto implemented a number of summer programs over the past two years since the pandemic started in 2020.
Despite COVID-19 restrictions rolling away, many of them are here to stay.
CTV News Toronto has compiled a list of which programs will return for another year.
CaféTO
The CaféTO program, which allowed for restaurant and bar operators to expand their outdoor dining spaces onto curb lanes and sidewalks, started up to provide a safer option amid the pandemic and to help struggling businesses cope with COVID-19 closures.
Last November, Toronto council voted in favour of making the CafeTO program a permanent fixture of city life starting in 2023. The program was also revived for summer 2022, and the city asked bars, restaurants and cafes to start registering in January to expedite the application and permitting process.
Summer CampTO
For the third straight year, the City of Toronto is offering its in-person summer day camp programs. However, the big change this year will be the absence of COVID-19 restrictions. This program will run from July 4 to Sept. 2 and will be open to children and youth between the ages of four and 16.
ActiveTO
ActiveTO will continue in some form into 2022. The city says it will continue to expand Toronto's cycling network and close major roads to traffic so that people in the city have access to more recreation space on weekends. The city told CTV News Toronto on Tuesday that more details would be announced soon about the program.
Outdoor recreation programs
Amid the pandemic, The City of Toronto came up with a couple of initiatives to provide free outdoor programs in parks for children and youth in Toronto, including the ParksPlayTO program for children aged 12 and younger and the Summer is the 6IX program for youth aged 13 to 24.
On Tuesday, the city said the programs are not yet scheduled for 2022, but information about the programs will be available in the “near future.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'We will exercise fiscal restraint': Freeland outlines priorities ahead of 2023 federal budget
The coming 2023 federal budget will 'exercise fiscal restraint' while also making 'significant' investments in health and building Canada's clean economy, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Monday.
3 people stabbed at Halifax-area high school; 1 person in custody
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S.
W5 Investigates
W5 Investigates | How did a healthy teen die at a minor hockey camp?
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
Conservatives forcing MPs to vote on striking new foreign interference study
In an effort to keep the foreign interference story at the forefront, and to do an apparent end run around the Liberal filibuster blocking one study from going ahead, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has forced the House to spend the day debating a motion instructing an opposition-dominated House committee to strike its own review.
Spring backwards? Why next spring will come earlier than it has in nearly 130 years
In the previous century, the spring equinox typically fell on March 21, but the first day of spring has slowly been moving. Here's why next year it will fall on March 19, for the first time since the 1800s.
Nexus program to resume by April 24 after yearlong standoff
The federal government says the Nexus trusted-traveller program will fully ramp back up within five weeks, allowing frequent border crossers to complete their applications and speed up their trips.
Amazon cuts 9,000 more jobs, bringing 2023 total to 27,000
Amazon plans to eliminate 9,000 more jobs in the next few weeks, CEO Andy Jassy said in a memo to staff on Monday.
Parliamentary committee summons Mark Zuckerberg over Meta's threat to block news
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is being summoned by a parliamentary committee for the third time in four years -- this time over the tech company's threat to block news from Canadians on its social-media platforms.
Donald Trump's call for protests gets muted reaction by supporters
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap.
Montreal
-
6 missing after Old Montreal fire 'probably still in the rubble': Police
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
-
Fatal fire in Old Montreal raises questions about unauthorized Airbnbs
Mayor Valerie Plante said Monday she requested a meeting with an Airbnb executive after a building in Old Montreal — a short-term rental hot spot — was destroyed by a fire that has left six people missing.
-
A 3rd person has died after truck rammed pedestrians in Amqui, Que.
Quebec provincial police (SQ) announced Monday morning that a third person has died in connection with the tragedy in Amqui, in the Lower St. Lawrence region, where a driver drove his pickup truck into pedestrians a week ago.
London
-
London man charged with arson
A London man has been arrested and charged with arson after a fire over the weekend. According to police, crews were called to a working fire at an apartment building in the 1600-block of Adelaide Street north around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday.
-
Stratford, Ont. man arrested for indecent act, voyeurism
A man from Stratford is facing multiple charges after he was caught allegedly masturbating and peeping through the window of a residence where two teen girls and a toddler were inside, police in Stratford said.
-
Four police officers assaulted in St. Thomas
Four police officers were assaulted over the weekend while attempting to make an arrest in St. Thomas. Just before 9 p.m. on Saturday, police responded to a home in the north end of the city.
Kitchener
-
Inquest into death of Kitchener man shot and killed by police begins
Nearly eight years after 20-year-old Beau Baker was shot and killed by a Waterloo regional police officer, an inquest into the Kitchener man’s death is now getting underway.
-
17-year-old killed in crash near Drayton, Ont.
A teenager has died and two others have serious injuries after a single-vehicle crash in Mapleton Township near the village of Drayton.
-
'Everybody’s pulling together': Community reels following death of 10-year-old girl near Brantford
A community is in mourning after a 10-year-old girl was killed earlier this week when flames tore through her family’s camping trailer southeast of Brantford.
Northern Ontario
-
BREAKING
BREAKING | Another southern Ont. snowmobiler dies in crash on a northern trail
Another southern Ontario resident in their 30s has died following a snowmobile crash in the northern region.
-
Serious single-vehicle crash closes MR80 in Val Caron
A 46-year-old man has been taken to hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries after a single-vehicle crash on MR80 near Donaldson Crescent in Val Caron.
-
Sudbury murder trial delayed again due to COVID-19
The second-degree murder trial of Robert Steven Wright was delayed again Monday due to COVID-19.
Ottawa
-
Councillors approve Orleans development despite parking concerns
The city of Ottawa's planning committee has approved a housing development in Orleans after it was delayed due to concerns about the number of parking spaces.
-
Nordstrom Canada to begin liquidation Tuesday after receiving court's permission
The liquidation sales at Nordstrom stores across Canada will begin Tuesday.
-
3 people stabbed at Halifax-area high school; 1 person in custody
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S.
Windsor
-
Man arrested for arson after 'deliberate' Forest Glade house explosion
Windsor police say they have arrested a 24-year-old Toronto man after a “deliberate” house explosion in Forest Glade.
-
24-year-old LaSalle man facing child pornography, firearms charges
A 24-year-old man has been charged with child pornography and firearm-related offences following a lengthy police investigation.
-
1,980 Windsor-Essex students suspended due to incomplete immunization records
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit says 1,908 students were suspended Monday due to out of date immunization records.
Barrie
-
Concerned motorist credited with stopping impaired driver in Barrie
A concerned motorist took matters into their own hands after following a suspected impaired driver from Springwater Township to Barrie Sunday evening.
-
Suspended driver clocked speeding over 2x limit while impaired on Highway 11: OPP
Police say they found the accused had been driving while under suspension and had an open liquor container in the vehicle, adding to the number of charges he faces.
-
$20K in drugs seized during traffic stop in Springwater Township
According to officers with the Huronia West OPP detachment, a search of the vehicle turned up a "substantial amount" of suspected drugs with a street value of roughly $20,000.
Atlantic
-
3 people stabbed at Halifax-area high school; 1 person in custody
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S.
-
N.S. government offering nurses $10,000 bonuses to keep them in public health system
Front-line nurses who are working for publicly-funded employers in Nova Scotia will receive a bonus of up to $10,000, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston announced Monday.
-
Spring equinox arrives Monday evening, marking first day of season
The spring (vernal) equinox arrives at 6:24 p.m. on Monday. The equinox is the time of the year when the position of the sun passes south to north over the equator.
Calgary
-
Child in life-threatening condition after being struck by vehicle in northwest Calgary
An 11-year-old boy was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition after being struck by a vehicle in the northwest Calgary neighbourhood of Royal Oak.
-
LIVE at 3
LIVE at 3 | Alberta to provide update on imported children's medication
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Health Minister Jason Copping will give an update on the effort to import and distribute children's pain and fever medicine Monday afternoon.
-
Alberta moves to force oilpatch to pay owed taxes above 'threshold' amount
The Alberta government says it's moving to force oilpatch companies to make good on their unpaid municipal taxes.
Winnipeg
-
Man stabbed with hypodermic needle at restaurant: police
A 34-year-old woman is facing charges after she allegedly stabbed a stranger with a hypodermic needle while they were waiting in line to order food at a restaurant.
-
Manitoba funding centralized hub to handle province's 'high rates' of missing persons reports
Manitoba is planning to create an integrated missing persons response unit, sharing information between police agencies, Child and Family Services (CFS), and Indigenous advocates when someone goes missing.
-
Here is when reservations will open for Manitoba’s campsites
Manitobans are encouraged to plan ahead and get ready for camping season as the province’s new park reservation launching next week.
Vancouver
-
Car fire erupts after collision in South Vancouver, intersection closed as police investigate
A vehicle burst into flames in South Vancouver after an early morning collision Monday, prompting police to shut down the intersection at Kingsway and Tyne Street amid an investigation.
-
Renewed call for tips 15 years after B.C. man's mysterious disappearance
Homicide investigators are once again asking the public to help solve the mysterious case of Kellen McElwee, the young man from Burnaby, B.C., who disappeared without a trace 15 years ago.
-
Researchers: Inbreeding a big problem for endangered orcas
With population numbers so low, researchers believe inbreeding may be an issue for the critically endangered southern resident killer whales.
Edmonton
-
Photo of 'person of interest' released in connection to western Alberta homicide
Police have released photos of what they are calling a "person of interest" in a homicide investigation in western Alberta.
-
Woman hospitalized after being hit by vehicle on Whyte Avenue
A pedestrian was taken to hospital Monday morning after she was hit by a vehicle while in a crosswalk on Whyte Avenue.
-
Fire that caused $7M in damages at north apartment was caused by mechanical failure
An electrical or mechanical failure caused the March 12 fire at a north Edmonton apartment building, investigators have found.