COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Update
Tuesday May 19, 2020
Dear Camp Families and Staff,

As you may have heard, the Government of Ontario made some announcements today related to the remainder of the school year for students, and for the summer camping community. Here is what Doug Ford shared regarding camp:

“Assuming trends in public health indicators continue to improve, summer day camps, both indoor and outdoor, may be permitted in July and August of this year with strict health and safety guidelines to be developed in partnership with local public health, the Ministry of Labour Training and Skills Development, and municipalities. Overnight camps will not be permitted to operate in the summer of 2020.” 

As we have committed to you already, we are exploring every possible option to operate in a way that maintains our promise to always put the health and safety of our entire community before anything else when making these important decisions. You may start to hear of day camps announcing the cancellation of their summer programs. Please be reminded that every camp makes these decisions based on how their camp operates. This includes everything from the facilities that are available to them, all the way to transportation to and from camp. In order for us to make a final decision regarding Summer 2020 operations, we need to have the opportunity to review the guidelines to be outlined by the Government of Ontario and our local health officials. We are also very understanding that as the economy continues to reopen, there will be a greater need for child care while parents and other family members head back to work. If we feel we can safely operate based on the outlined requirements, we will do everything in our power to do so. It is likely this will involve drastic changes to our programming, transportation options, and overall camper and staff capacity. We will put all of our efforts into providing a fun and safe alternative program for as many campers that the government and local health officials will allow for.

Today was a hard day for families, friends, and colleagues in overnight camping. From campers, seasonal staff, to full time camp professionals - this is tough news to digest. We stand by our overnight camp friends and colleagues during this challenging time, and we are here to support them.

We stand by our promise to keep you informed with transparent information as we wait to receive the guidelines to be set for safe day camp operations. In the meantime, please be mindful that Naomi, Maya, and I have of course received countless numbers of emails and calls and we will respond to your questions as soon as possible. We very much appreciate your patience as we work through making camp possible for our beloved community.

Thanks for your continued patience and support!

Evan Roth
Camp Director, The Jack and Pat Kay Centre Camp
416-636-2267 ext. 3
Previous Summer 2020 Updates
In case you missed our previous email updates regarding Summer 2020, you can view them here by clicking on the links below: