Some will require a day or two more for Town staff to prepare but the Town is now following Provincial Guidelines and opening up the Beach and Parks as long as social distancing is maintained. The Provincial rules allow reopening of “Outdoor sports facilities and multi-use fields, off-leash dog areas and outdoor picnic sites, benches and shelters”. The Town is therefore opening tennis courts and pickleball courts although organized sports are still not allowed. Still closed are outdoor playgrounds, play structures, outdoor splash pads, swimming pools and “all communal facilities intended to be used by persons using outdoor sports amenities”. The beach will be open for “non-contact unorganized sports”, plus sun-bathing and presumably swimming, although non-family groups can be no more than 5 and everyone must maintain social distancing.
Official List of Reopening Amenities
- Boat Launch – The Cobourg Marina public boat launch ramp has reopened as of May 22, 2020. There will be no charge for the boat launch at this time until the Marina office reopens.
- Community Garden – The community garden has reopened for garden members only.
- Leash-Free Dog Park – The Cobourg leash-free dog park will reopen on May 23, 2020.
- Outdoor Recreational Amenities – Baseball diamonds, basketball courts and soccer fields will reopen on May 23, 2020.
- Parks and Beach – All Town parks, beach, outdoor picnic sites, benches and shelters are open for non-contact, unorganized sport or activity use* only, while also maintaining a physical distance of at least two metres from any other person using the space. Organized public events and social gatherings of more than five people is strictly prohibited (unless part of the same household).
- Skateboard Park – The skateboard park will reopen early next week.
- Tennis and Pickleball Courts – Will reopen early next week.
* What Does “Unorganized Sport or Activity” Use Mean?
“Unorganized Sport or Activity” use shall mean a sport, game or activity that is not pre-planned by an individual, group or organization and is considered to be spontaneous.
Still Closed
- All outdoor playgrounds, play structures and equipment and portions of park and recreational areas containing outdoor fitness equipment.
- Outdoor splash pads and swimming pools
- All communal facilities intended to be used by persons using outdoor sports amenities.
Activities Not Recommended
COVID-19 can be transmitted by touching objects or surfaces the virus has landed on then touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Activities that carry this risk are not recommended, even with physical distancing in place, including:
- communal meals, such as barbecues, picnics or drinks with friends and neighbours
- communal features, such as inflatables or trampolines
Activities Not Allowed
Under recent health orders, an activity is not allowed to proceed if it involves:
- league play, events, festivals or competitions
- any outdoor event or gathering of more than five people, including private gatherings such as backyard barbecues and weddings (unless part of the same household)
- a situation where physical distancing isn”t possible – people are required to maintain 2 metres (6 feet) from each other, unless they are from the same household
- attending most public recreation and private entertainment facilities, such as:
- swimming pools and gyms
- casinos and bingo halls
Download the full announcement here.
The Town warns that if these rules are not followed, the outdoor recreational amenities currently reopening could shut down once again to protect the health and wellness of the community.
Addendum – 24 May
Although the Beach is open for walking, sitting and sunbathing, washrooms are currently NOT open. Stay Tuned.
Print Article:
I don’t think the residents have much to worry about if washrooms can’t and won’t be open from Toronto visitors. At least one road stop is required before you even get there and then without facilities open…? Would people be willing to go in the water? I don’t think so. You’d need to bring your own porto-potty/bedpan?
At Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto this past weekend they did not have portable washrooms. The park was packed. Visitors to the park went to the washroom in residents yards backing onto the park
Town Leadership needs to step up and close the beach and only allow walk through to residents of Cobourg until the Covid 19 situation is under control.
Reading the front page of the N.Y. Times highlighting on today, Memorial Day, the nearly 100,00 dead, killed by the corona virus. Beyond this extraordinary tragedy is the understanding that the pain isn’t over; not in the US, not in Canada, not in the rest of the world. And with that as a backdrop, Cobourg Town leadership, those elected to first and foremost protect our people, have thrown away the benefit of two hard months of quasi-isolation to open Town beaches to all comers. The magnitude of this mistake will likely manifest itself in the coming months. And, responsibility for each and every infection, and, God forbid, each and every death, inflicted upon Coburg’s populous by this plague will be laid squarely at the feet of those Town leaders. It is a tragic misfortune that at the very moment which demands intelligent and prudent leadership our Town is lead by the same flawed thinking as is disaterously demonstrated by the Mango Mussolini who has sacrificed 100,000 of his citizens.
To underscore this point, if the Cobourg leadership (Mayor, Councilors, et al) wish to see a vivid precursor of what our beaches will look like every warm, sunny ,summer day simply reference this story from Toronto.
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/crowded-park-in-toronto-sparks-condemnation-officers-will-ensure-distancing/ar-BB14wK9T?ocid=msedgntp
The N.Y. Times pulled another fast one. Seems that not all of the listed names died of the Virus. One was found to have been murdered. So much for NYT fact checking. Of course it is not the first time that the NYT has published fake news. It had even won a Pulitzer for a fake story on the Ukrainian famine (Holodomor). https://www.rt.com/usa/489602-nyt-coronavirus-deaths-frontpage-controversy/
RT is a Russian (funded by the Russian government) based news outlet currently running stories in the middle east, translated into Arabic, that the virus was a bioweapon made in a US lab. You might fact check your sources Wally. But even if true, one mistake out of how many correct. What was your High School GPA Wally, perfect 4.0? How many Pulitzers have you won?
Just like you, I never won a Pulitzer. What a couple losers we are.
Nevertheless the NYT duped so many people that the Pulitzer was awarded, not for honest reporting, but for the deception of truth in the worst possible way. https://www.nytco.com/company/prizes-awards/new-york-times-statement-about-1932-pulitzer-prize-awarded-to-walter-duranty/
The NYT continues with this tradition, and the so-called page of corona victims are not all victims. You can claim it as one mistake, but this typical of the overall record of the NYT to publish such derelict propaganda. Their full page piece proves what? Nothing.
“The NYT continues with this tradition”
You site an example from 1931 and another from 89 years later and you call that a “tradition”?
Thanksgiving is a tradition, but that happens every year.🦃
“What was your High School GPA Wally, perfect 4.0?”
I still have copies of my Scholastic Aptitude Test for Ontario. 60,000 students in Ontario took the test. I received percentile points in the 90s on all three categories, placing me on Ontario’s top 300 students. However teachers were giving me failing grades. Largely because I was bored of the mediocrity that our school system passes off as education. CDCI-West offered to pay for me to have an IQ test, which I declined, because it means nothing. I failed English, yet McGill profs published ,my first book of poetry. My High school GPA was failing grades — you asked and I delivered an answer. So with those failing grades, it is proof enough to you to prove that I am abysmally uneducated dimwit not worth hearing. So much for your measurement of an individual.
The point was about being less than perfect. Just as the NY Times doesn’t always get it right you did not get it all right in things like high school. Fortunately, the majority of authors and editors at the Times try and are less obtuse than you are.
Better read Wally’s post again MCGA, Wally did get it right, everybody else got it wrong.
Just to set the record straight: “…our Town is led by the same flawed thinking…” not lead, which is a heavy metal used by plumbers and such.
Stand corrected, spelling and typing were never my strong suit.
Might as well open up the rest of the town. I live in east end Cobourg and every weekend I see my neighbours hosting their families from out of town. Drive down my street and see the cars parked ,some over night. The visitors go back home and the hosts trot off to Metro and No Frills and other local businesses. Theses folk think they are better than the rest of us. We are doomed.
The news media has said in the 2 weeks since Mothers Day the covid virus count has gone up drastically and they may have to shut everything down if it continues.
Yet council decided to open us up taking a huge risk for what everyone has worked so hard to avoid.
Marina management are totally neglecting the care of the grassed area in front of the parking lot and allowing parking on this area while the Paved lot remains virtually empty. This area is looked after with tax payer dollars.
They as well as the police are aware at night it becomes a dirt track and party central on the grassed area and parking lot and nothing is done about it. I find this very sad.
Any tax paying citizen REGARDLESS where they live in Cobourg has the right to live in a safe place and be able to sleep in peace at night knowing the laws and bylaws will be enforced.
Have you phoned the Police with a complaint? Their number is (905) 372-6821
Many times and so have others I know of.
The fact that a secretive unelected, unaccountable COVID 19 Emergency Governing Group is making what amounts to life or death decisions affecting Cobourg residents is frightening to say the least. This is absolutely irresponsible and unacceptable.
The mere fact they made this decision clearly shows they don’t have a clue what they are doing. Personal liability lawsuits should be brought against every member of the group for endangering lives. How does one launch a court injunction to stop this madness?
When council reaches out to get public opinion through facebook…I knew we were sunk.
Council had the full ability to close the beach, they choose to wait and see….they have another opportunity on June 1.. maybe you should stop complaining here and speak with your members of Council and ask them to make a decision.
I have!
There must be four responsible Council members to support a reasonable decision. For most votes there are only 2 or 3 rational members of Council.
Who are the council members that I should be contacting? I have written on the Cobourg “contact us” and also sent emails to P Lawrence and J Henderson. I do not agree with the beach being open!
Hi Nikki, You can contact me anytime at [email protected]. I would like to hear from anyone concerned about our beach. Contact information for all Council members can be found at https://www.cobourg.ca/en/council-members.aspx?_mid_=125368
Cobourg Lover…get your head out of the sand. There is enough information out there to know the beach should remain closed …MCGA seems to have a grasp of the situation
The Correctional Service of Canada is facing a class action law suit launched by the inmates of Mission Institution on grounds that the CSC failed to enforce measures making it more likely for community spread of Covid 19.
What cost is Cobourg prepared to accept when a class action is brought on grounds there were insufficient enforcement officers to ensure social distancing on a reopened beach. The provincial loosening of the lockdown was just a suggestion should towns such as Cobourg have adequate protections in place. I doubt we do.
Unfortunately, law suits against public entities only end up having the tax payer end up eating the costs. Elected officials and bureaucrats are shielded from ever being personally on the hook for any judgements. Unless you can get them on criminal charges they skip happily away with an indexed pension.
Cobourg was not obliged to take any of these measures, in the words of the Provincial advisers, only if the town/municipality/city/province/ thinks it is safe to do so.
Define Safe.
Surely, at this time, safety lies in our ability to react swiftly to fluid circumstances— the more we know, the more data we gather, etc, perhaps we’ll be able to more accurately pinpoint more specific areas of risk and be prepared to deal with them locally?
And why are we doing it all on the first Farmers’ Market — itself a logistical nightmare? We are not ready. We can barely manage important areas of risk when there is no pandemic —despite significant contributions to our police forces’ budgets.
Also, why open the boat launch when there is no supervision? Boats will now arrive in the wee hours — from all over Ontario and Quebec and anywhere else that’s in sailing distance — and arrive; unknown and unsupervised; the crews will yell and shout —regardless of any tax paying residents. If we are neither able to charge nor supervise, why are we doing it at all?
I confess to being one of the ‘privileged’ folk overlooking the Marina Parking Lot and am indeed privileged, from one night to the next, never to know if a good night’s sleep is in store. And for this I pay taxes?
Paula, you should be thankful that visitors want to come to Cobourg. Without visitors this would be a peaceful town with locals able to enjoy our beach. It is essential that that all facilities be available, without charge, to anyone who might want to use them. We’re even keeping the ice at the CCC ready just in case! How else can our high taxes be justified?
The ice seems like a huge waste of money. I would appreciate if someone from the town could explain why keeping the ice is a cost efficient idea.
I think it’s irresponsible to say tourists coming to Cobourg is a good thing during a pandemic! No cure, no vaccine, new cases daily. Not here though, because the majority of the people in Cobourg have stayed in. If you want more money being spent in town you should be encouraging the locals to buy, now that restrictions have been lifted. If a second wave hits we will all have to stay in isolation again. Now that would be more devastating than keeping tourists out of Cobourg.
When you compare the restrictions in place for the local Farmers market and the beach there seems to be a definite disconnect.
“I confess to being one of the ‘privileged’ folk overlooking the Marina Parking Lot and am indeed privileged, from one night to the next, never to know if a good night’s sleep is in store. And for this I pay taxes?”
Hmm definitely a statement of privilege. If you don’t like the way things are in your neighbourhood move, a lot of us live in noisy places and put up with it for various reasons!
How typical – you don’t like it…move. How about thinking of ways to solve the problem(s)? Paula’s statement is not of privilege rather, fairly offering context. I don’t understand how living near the marina means having to put up with things that others surely wouldn’t.
Opening the beach without any thought of monetization or useful monitoring crosses over to dangerous territory this summer. In many more ways than one.
The post certainly smacks of privilege when it implies that paying higher taxes (because she lives in a big house on the Marina) should earn her more privileges (a quieter neighbourhood).
She is just as entitled as any taxpayer to have a good night sleep.
The Esplanade is not a drag strip, but is used as such. The lot by the Yacht club is not a tailgate party meeting place, but is used as such. If someone parked outside you home at 2am and started blaring their music, I think it may upset you some. Living at the marina should not mean dealing with noise, speed and now distancing violations that others would never be subject to, and keeping her mouth shut – because someone else deems her as privileged.
” because someone else deems her as privileged.”
Read her post and she admitted that she was privileged, I just quoted back her quote!!
She never implied that because she pays more in taxes that she should receive more in privileges. That was your misguided interpretation.
She raised very valid points and did not deserve to be attacked by you. Waging class warfare as you have done has no place in a civil discussion.
It’s never too late to apologize.
The rest of Cobourger’s have NO Idea how much of the Towns Tax $$$ go to keeping up the beach and Marina area for outsiders The real cost are spread out through various budgets so its very hard to quantify — 24 x7 garbage pickups , security , Grass cutting as and when needed at least 2 xs a wk , street sweepers 2 to 4 times a wk at 5 am and it all takes place in the early Hrs of each day like 6 – 7 am. and again at dusk
even on Sundays and yes its very Noisy down here actually Abnormally loud
It would be informative to see the net income or loss that is attributed to tourism. That is, compare the additional revenue earned by Cobourg businesses to additional costs to Cobourg (additional garbage pickup, etc).
Of course, additional revenue earned by businesses as a result of tourism would not likely impact Cobourg. ie: tax revenue won’t increase if a business earns additional revenue.
The analysis would have been helpful in this situation. If the analysis indicates that Cobourg overall is losing money on tourism then there’s little benefit to opening the beach.