Beaches in Tiny Township are now open, but with restrictions

Many beaches now open, but not to everyone Just in time for the warmer weather some beaches are starting to open up this weekend, but as CTV's Rob Cooper explains they are not opening for everyone.

It's been months since the coronavirus pandemic closed beaches in Cottage Country. As temperatures continue to rise, many have started to reopen in line with the province's reopening plans, but they won't be available to everyone.

As of Friday at 12:01 a.m., five of the Tiny Township's beaches and several smaller ones were given the green light, allowing visitors to lay a blanket on the sand and catch some rays. Still, like many other municipalities, only those living in the area are welcome.

George Cornell, the mayor of Tiny Township, says the move will help reduce the visitors coming to the township while limiting the number of people at the beaches.

"We have reduced parking, (and) there will be no paid parking in the township where it was available," says Cornell, "we are permit parking only so that our residents have permits as do our neighbouring municipalities."

At Balm Beach, 30-minute parking will also be available free of charge for people to access local businesses in the area for curbside pickup and takeout orders.

Playgrounds on the beaches and in parks will remain closed.

Meanwhile, Bracebridge's beaches have been open to the public for almost a week, but this will be the first weekend with fully serviced public bathrooms.

"From 10:00 a.m., our Crews were out, ensuring all of the log forms were posted signage was posted washrooms were deep cleaned and ready to go," says Gillian Mitchell with the Town of Bracebridge.

The town has implemented a new deep cleaning protocol to ensure people's safety, which includes more cleaning more often.