TORONTO -- Ontario's stay-at-home order says that campers with full-season contracts at privately-owned campgrounds can only camp if they stay a minimum of 14 days or less than 24 hours. But campers tell CTVNews.ca that they aren't happy with the inconsistent enforcement of these rules among campgrounds.

Under Ontario Regulation 82/20, which lays out COVID-19 restrictions for businesses, privately-owned seasonal campgrounds are allowed to open only for individuals who have a full-season contract or individuals who are in need of housing and don't have another home.

The regulation also stipulates that only campsites with electricity, water and sewage disposal can be open, and that recreational facilities at the campground must be closed.

Since April, the province has also been under stay-at-home order, which has specific guidelines for individuals with secondary residences. For seasonal campers, or campers with a full-season contract, the trailer at their campsite would qualify as a secondary residence according to the Nature and Outdoor Tourism Ontario and the Ontario Private Campground Association.

Individuals are only allowed to travel to their second residence if they intend to stay for less than 24 hours for an essential purpose, such as maintenance for their trailer, or if they intend to reside there for 14 days or longer.​

Campers tell CTVNews.ca that not all campgrounds are being as strict about making sure their campers meet the 14-day minimum stay requirement as stipulated in the stay-at-home order.

"I know people that are going up to the campgrounds every weekend," said Janet Potvin, a camper who has a seasonal contract in Lanark County, Ont., in a phone interview with CTVNews.ca, calling it "ridiculous" that there are campgrounds allowing campers to break the stay-at-home order.

Some campgrounds have put in place rigid measures to make sure campers are following the stay-at-home order. Sharlene Menard told CTVNews.ca that in order to enter the campground where she has a seasonal contract, she's required to email the campground ahead of time and tell them her intended length of stay.

"We email, we go there, and the gate is locked. They open the gate for us, so they know all the time who was in the park," said Menard.

Some have closed their doors altogether to overnight stay, such as Bayview Lodge in White Lake, and are only permitting those with a seasonal contract to enter their camp to perform essential maintenance to their trailer.

"The decision by the campground owners was to basically close the campground down until the Stage 1 provincial opening," said Glenn Austin, who has a seasonal contract at Bayview Lodge.

But others are leaving it up to the campers to follow the stay-at-home order.

Campground operator Ian Foster, who is the owner of Sid Turcotte Park in Mattawa, Ont., says it's not up to him to enforce the stay-at-home order. Given that the stay-at-home order only targets "individuals" rather than businesses, he says the responsibility is on the campers to make sure that they're not in violation of that order.

"There is nothing in the regulation O. Reg. 82/20 that says we cannot open our cabins. So, as a business owner, I can have my cabins open, but the stay-at-home order targets individuals. They're not allowed to travel for any recreational purposes or to anything that is not their second residence," Foster told CTVNews.ca over the phone.

He says he informs all campers that there is a stay-at-home order when they come through the gate, but if campers choose to disobey the order and stay at the campsite for more than 24 hours and less than two weeks, they're doing so at their own risk.

"I would say probably there are some people in violation of (the stay-at-home order) but it's just not possible for us to police that. There's just so many people coming and going, so what we did was we educated them and said, 'Listen, understand that if the police come here, you're getting fined, not us.'"

Alexandra Anderson, who is the executive director of the Ontario Private Campground Association, agrees that the onus falls on campers to follow the stay-at-home regulations.

"It's very clear in the two regulations that are governing the province right now. All privately-owned campgrounds in the province are technically open. The issue is the campers. The campers are required under the law stay home."

CAMPS NOT INCLUDED IN INITIAL REOPENING

Seasonal campgrounds aren't expected to open for regular service until June 14, when Stage 1 of the province's reopening plan commences. The stay-at-home order is also expected to expire on June 2.

Some outdoor facilities, such as golf courses and splashpads, were permitted by the province to open on May 22. However, campgrounds were not included in these plans, a decision that has left members of the camping community shaking their heads.

"I mean you're very well self-isolated from everyone (at a campground) To me, you're much more self-isolated than you are golfing," Potvin said.

The current restrictions on campgrounds have had a significant financial impact for campsite owners, especially given that they weren't able to open for the Victoria Day long weekend.

"My parks are losing thousands of dollars because they had to cancel their long weekend. This is traditionally the first long weekend where after being closed… where they can actually generate income again, so it hurt very, very much," said Anderson.

Foster says at his campground, he's lost around $100,000 in income because of Ontario's third-wave restrictions.

"Small businesses got screwed and continue to get screwed. Why would you invest here? It makes no sense," said Foster.