South Frontenac cancels Swim and Day Camp programs for 2021
The Township of South Frontenac has made the decision to cancel their Swim and Day Camp programs for the 2021 season. This is the second season the Township’s summer programs will be cancelled due to ongoing concerns surrounding COVID-19.
According to a release from the Township of South Frontenac, the cancellation comes after careful consideration from the Township’s Emergency Control Group (ECG) regarding the safety of South Frontenac residents and staff. Similar to last years’ decision to cancel the programs, the ECG felt the programs would impose unnecessary risk for the community. The Township said these programs are staffed by students and youth, and there is continuous concern regarding the added responsibility that would be required of young staff to ensure participant safety.
“We are in the same situation as last year in terms of staffing considerations. It is not fair to ask our student employees to be responsible for the safety of our children during a global pandemic”, said Mayor Ron Vandewal. “It is also not guaranteed that we could maintain the camps or student positions if the region is required to lockdown again, resulting in a potential loss of their income for the season. We know how critical a reliable summer position is to our students so we cannot ask them to take a chance on Swim & Day Camp employment with all the uncertainties ahead.”
The traditional Swim & Day Camp structure would present logistical issues such as change room protocols when transitioning between in-water and land based activities, rain day protocols, limited participant capacity, etc, the Township said. According to the release, the public health measures that are forecasted to continue into the summer will inhibit the ability to offer high quality programming for the participants and an enriching employment experience for seasonal staff. These factors, along with the uncertainty of the permissible activities in the coming months, they said, contributed to the difficult decision to cancel the programs once again.
The Township said they are looking forward to welcoming swimmers and campers back to the traditional programs in the future when it is safe to do so.
For more information regarding the Townships response to the COVID-19 pandemic please visit www.southfrontenac.net.