Kids’ summer dreams dashed
Flooding on Toronto Island sees several camps, programs cancelled until end of July
Avery Swartz’s 6-year-old daughter, Clara, was looking forward to summer camp on Toronto Island. After all, riding the ferry is kind of magical, and she would get to do it every day.
But with the city’s announcement last week that permits have been withdrawn until at least the end of July, Clara, like many other campers, won’t get to go to the island.
“I told her that the island is closed, because that’s an easy way to explain it to a 6-year-old,” said Swartz, who added that Clara understood from news coverage that the lake’s water levels are very high.
Island flooding has forced hundreds of Toronto parents to make backup arrangements for July. Four city camps located on the island affect 350 campers, according to spokesperson Wynna Brown.
“Staff have been reaching out to contact parents, family by family, to find alternatives that meet their needs, or to facilitate refunds where required,” she wrote in an email.
In addition to the four city camps, there are other camps located on the Island, with hundreds more campers affected. These include Toronto Island YMCA Camp, Toronto Island Canoe Club Camp and the Island Natural Science School camp. Around 300 campers per week will be affected at the YMCA camp alone.
Clara will attend an alternative YMCA camp on the mainland along with her friends, although the final site hasn’t been determined.
“They’ve been doing a good job of keeping us updated,” Swartz said.
Leigh Coffey, the manager for summer day camps for the YMCA of Greater Toronto told Metro: “We want to assure parents that their children will be well cared for this summer. Parents do not need to reregister and every camper will have a camp to go to.”
She added that alternate plans would be confirmed by June 15, and while “not many parents have withdrawn their children” full refunds will be given to those who do so.