NEWS RELEASE
TOWN OF MIDLAND
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With health and safety protocols now in place, the Town of Midland is announcing the beaches at Little Lake Park, Pete Pettersen Park and Gawley Park all open to the public as of Wednesday, June 17. Public washroom facilities will be open and available from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily at all three beaches and at Midland Harbour beginning on Saturday, June 20.
“In order to provide residents with access to washroom facilities, proper cleaning protocols and equipment were needed to be in place first,” said Andy Campbell, Executive Director of Environment & Infrastructure. “Our Town staff have been tremendous in adapting to the demands of the pandemic and the needs of our community. Staff have been redeployed from other Town departments and trained on how to use the cleaning equipment so that not only are they safe while working, but residents are too when using the facilities.”
Public washrooms will be cleaned using equipment and solutions approved by both Health Canada and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) disinfecting.
Cooling Station
As added cooling options during the hot weather, the Town of Midland will have a cooling station setup at the Town Dock, with a drinking water trailer available beginning on Thursday, June 18, and a cooling tent available all day on Saturday, June 20.
With the usual cooling centres currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, look for the cooling station to be setup and operating numerous times this summer to help residents stay cool and hydrated during extreme heat conditions.
Stage 2 Reopening
Many businesses in the Town are now permitted to reopen now that our region is in Stage 2 of the Province’s reopening plan. However, proper health and safety protocols need to be in place before reopening a business. For more details, visit www.ontario.ca/page/frameworkreopening-our-province-stage-2.
For restaurants looking to offer patio service, please be sure to contact the Town’s Municipal Law Enforcement Officer at [email protected] or 705-526-4275 ext. 2227 to ensure your patio is within prescribed regulations. In addition, if restaurants need assistance in determining the occupancy load for their patio, please call the Midland Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Division at 705-526-4275 Ext. 2235.
Event Updates
Due to continuing limits on gatherings, the Town has announced the following event updates:
- Canada Day Celebrations: Replaced by the Virtual Canada Day Celebration in the Heart of Georgian Bay, a joint online event from Midland, Penetanguishene, Tay & Tiny);
- Northern Heat Series Rib & Craft Beer Fest (originally scheduled for July 3-5): Cancelled;
- Floatiefest (originally scheduled for July 11): Cancelled;
- WaterCross (originally scheduled for July 18-19): Cancelled; and
- Tugfest (originally scheduled for August 14-15): Cancelled.
“As we all adapt to our “new normal” we are looking at ways to continue to celebrate and enjoy our community together. Our virtual Canada Day celebration is a creative example of this thinking until we can return to larger in person events. It’s unfortunate that with the current restrictions and the planning required for some events, like many communities, we have no choice but to cancel some of them”, said Nicole Major, Tourism and Special Events Manager. “Hopefully in 2021 all of these events that residents and visitors have come to love will return better than ever in the Town of Midland.”
The Town of Midland will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and provide updates on the Town of Midland website at Midland.ca/COVID-19, and we encourage residents to follow our social media channels for updates as well, @MidlandON on Twitter, and @townofmidland on Facebook.
For more information on the state of COVID-19 in our area, please contact the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 or visit their website at simcoemuskokahealth.org.
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