Will Toronto’s fun summer programs stick around as COVID restrictions ease?

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
BREAKING | Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull dies at 84
Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull has died at the age of 84. He played for the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks and Hartford Whalers as well as the World Hockey Association's Winnipeg Jets over a 23-year pro career.

Girl, 6, dead after accident at ski resort north of Montreal on Sunday
A six-year-old girl died in hospital Sunday night after being involved in an incident at the Val-Saint-Côme ski resort in Lanaudiere. Quebec police are investigating, though details into the event are not yet known. Officers indicated that it involved a T-bar lift, but they were not able to say more.
New alcohol recommendations could speed up changing drinking habits: businesses
Advocates and business owners in the beverage industry say new guidance for drinking alcohol could speed up changing consumer drinking habits as younger generations drink less and non-alcoholic beverages become more popular.
WHO: COVID-19 still an emergency but nearing 'inflection' point
The coronavirus remains a global health emergency, the World Health Organization chief said Monday, after a key advisory panel found the pandemic may be nearing an 'inflection point' where higher levels of immunity can lower virus-related deaths.
All countries 'dangerously unprepared' for future pandemics: report
The world is 'dangerously unprepared' for future pandemics, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) say in a report published on Monday, calling on countries to update their preparedness plans by year-end.
Are you a Ukrainian who recently moved to Canada? We want to hear from you
With Russia's invasion of Ukraine displacing millions of people, many refugees have begun to lay their roots in Canada. If you or someone you know has fled the war-torn country and settled in Canada, we want to hear from you.
NDP to call for emergency debate in House of Commons over private health care
Federal New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will call on the House of Commons to hold an emergency debate on the privatization of health care.
COVID-19 global emergency isn't over: 5 things to know about the WHO decision
The World Health Organization decided Monday not to declare an end to the COVID-19 global public health emergency.
Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet set to retire after overseeing Vatican's bishops' office
Marc Ouellet, the Quebec cardinal who oversaw the Vatican's powerful bishops' office and has been recently accused of sexual misconduct, is retiring.