Out-of-town beach-goers cause concerns for Innisfil

Out-of-towner visitors overload Innisfil`s beaches CTV's Rob Cooper talks to the Mayor of Innisfil about controlling crowds at the town`s beaches.

Innisfil, Ont. — For weeks Innisfil has asked people from out-of-town to avoid day trips to any of its beaches. With strict physical distancing rules in place, the town has limited the number of people who can get in.

Over the weekend, the gates at Innisfil Beach Park had to be closed.

"We did take the very uncommon approach (Sunday) where we closed around 3:30 p.m. for about an hour and a half, "Innisfil mayor Lynn Dollin said. "We were quite concerned with the number of people on the beach."

By noon Monday, more than 30 vehicles had again been turned away from Innisfil Beach Park.

The town says it handed out 130 parking tickets over the weekend at $75 a pop. While many people are just swallowing the cost for a day at the beach, others parking their cars a little further away and walking.

They're taking up space in lots for businesses that have been struggling through the pandemic.

Innisfil's emergency control group meets Tuesday to discuss new ways to keep non-residents out of the park.