Ontario Begins Step 1
Regulations That Impact Our Sectors
The majority of Ontario has moved into Step 1 of the Roadmap to Reopening plan on June 11th. Due to rising cases, the Porcupine Health Unit will not begin Step 1 until June 24th, depending on the public health situation at that time.
According to the updated O.Reg. 82/20 under Schedule 7 – Businesses that may open at Step 1, these are the rules impacting our sector businesses:
Hotels, motels, lodges, cabins, cottages, resorts and other shared rental accommodation (O.Reg. 82/20 – #22):
- Any indoor pools, communal steam rooms, saunas or whirlpools, indoor fitness centres, or other indoor recreational facilities that are part of the operation of these businesses, are closed.
Campgrounds (O. Reg. 82/20- #23):
Campsites that meet the following conditions:
1. Any restaurant, indoor pool, communal steam room, sauna or indoor whirlpool, meeting room, indoor fitness centre or other indoor recreational facility on the premises must be closed to the public, except for any portion of those areas that,
i. is used to provide first aid services,
ii. is used to provide take-out or delivery service or outdoor dining
iii. contains a washroom, or
iv. provides access to an area described listed above (i,ii,or iii)
Restaurants, bars, food trucks, concession stands and other food or drink establishments (O. Reg. 82/20- #3): No indoor dining permitted. Take-out, delivery or 4 people/table for outdoor dining. No buffets. All tables must be positioned to permit all seated patrons to be spaced 2m apart. You must record the name and contact information of each patron who comes for outdoor dining and maintain the records for a minimum of one month. You must make these records available to public health or enforcement if requested. Active screening must occur (questionnaire). There are specifications with regards to roofs/walls of your outdoor dining area. To see all regulations surrounding food establishments see O.Reg. 82/20 Schedule 7 Section 3.
Marinas (O.Reg 82/20 – #34):
Marinas, boating clubs and other organizations that maintain docking facilities for members or patrons that meet the following conditions can open:
1. Any clubhouse, restaurant, pool, communal steam room, sauna or whirlpool, meeting room, fitness centre or other indoor recreational facility on the premises must be closed to the public, except for any portion of those areas that,
i. is used to provide first aid services,
ii. is used to provide take-out or delivery service or outdoor dining
iii. contains a washroom, or
iv. provides access to an area described listed above (i,ii,or iii)
2. For greater certainty, nothing in this Order precludes a person responsible for a marina, boating club or other organization that maintains docking facilities for members or patrons from operating a grocery or convenience store on the premises or from providing fuel supply, watercraft repair and servicing, watercraft docking and watercraft launching services.
Recreational Boating (O. Reg 82/20 – #4 (6) under Schedule 8):
Each person responsible for a boat or watercraft shall ensure that if a group of persons uses that boat or watercraft together for recreational purposes, the members of the group are all members of the same household OR one other person from outside that household who lives alone or a caregiver for any member of the household.
Tours and Guiding (O.Reg 82/20 – #66 under Schedule 7):
Businesses that provide outdoor tour and guide services, including guided hunting trips, tastings and tours for wineries, breweries and distilleries, trail riding tours, walking tours and bicycle tours, but NOT motor vehicle tours or boat tours, may open. All individuals must wear masks. Guide services must maintain a record of participant names and contact information for a minimum of one month and show these records to public health or enforcement if requested. Active screening is required (questionnaire). For a complete list of the conditions on these activities, see O.Reg. 82/20 Schedule 7
Do you have your COVID Protocols in Place? It is Regulation.
Before you open it is very important that you comply with all of the regulations above and have implemented enhanced health and safety protocols. Any business which is permitted to be open at this time must have their safety plan/protocols in place that can be made available if a health official or enforcement officer requests to see it.
A safety plan is essentially a document highlighting all your health and safety protocols, COVID-19 protocols, and your plan in the event that an employee or guests develops COVID-19 at your workplace.
Not sure where to start or what to do? Fear not, there are some great resources available to you. In fact, last year with the support of Destination Northern Ontario, NOTO developed a comprehensive COVID-19 best practices guide for the RBT sector business that you can pull from.
You may consult and implement NOTO’s health and safety protocols to help you comply with all the health and safety requirements. This document covers all aspects of the resource-based tourism industry from road-based and fly-in operations to houseboats and campgrounds, and have been vetted by the Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS). Simply pull the components that best suit your business model and build your own document. Reach out if you need help.
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