City of Ottawa outdoor pools, beaches and museums to reopen this month
Posted Jun 9, 2021 07:29:00 PM.
The City of Ottawa is laying out plans for the reopening of its outdoor swimming pools, wading pools, beaches and museums this month.
Swimming pools will be among the first things to reopen when Ontario enters Step One of its economic reopening plan on Friday, June 11. The number of swimmers will be reduced for both public and lane swims and COVID-safety protocols will be in place. Reservations can be made beginning on June 10 at 6 p.m. at ottawa.ca/recreation for one-hour sessions.
The wading pools operated by the city will open on Thursday, June 24. Reservations can be made for 30-minute sessions on site at each wading pool location.
The beaches at Mooney’s Bay, Westboro, Britannia and Petrie Island will be open for supervised swimming starting on Saturday, June 19. Lifeguards will be on duty daily from noon to 7 p.m. until August 29. Ottawa Public Health will conduct regular water quality testing at the beaches.
The city says it's been working with Ottawa Public Health to implement COVID-prevention measures at its facilities, including:
- Enhanced cleaning measures for beach washrooms
- Extra comfort stations (portable toilets)
- Sanitization stations
- Exterior hand-washing stations
- Beach accessible wheelchairs will be available on a first come first serve basis.
The city is asking residents to keep beaches and parks clean by not littering. Smoking and alcohol are prohibited.
Some sports activities can resume outdoors starting on Friday. These activities are limited to non-contact training such as drills with a maximum of 10 people including coach and instructors.
Finally, the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum will be offering self-guided outdoor tours starting June 16. Pre-registration through the city’s website is suggested. Billings Estate National Historic Site will offer take-away tea service starting June 19.
