Provinces have been releasing plans for easing restrictions that were put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19. When it comes to travel, tourism and hospitality here is what the provinces have announced so far:
Newfoundland and Labrador
Groups of up to 20 people are now permitted, as long as they observe physical distancing. Up to 19 people are allowed on public transit.
Travel within the province is also permitted, including to second homes, parks and campgrounds. And 11 government service centres will reopen to offer in-person services that can be booked by appointment, including written tests, driver exams and identification photos. Outdoor games of tennis were allowed to resume, though players must bring their own equipment and not share it.
Municipal parks, golf courses and driving ranges as well as recreational hunting and fishing were also allowed to reopen in previous weeks.
Nova Scotia
Physical distancing of two metres is still required, except among members of the same household or family “bubble” – the gathering limit is 10 – the same indoors and outdoors, with exceptions for outdoor weddings and funeral services which can have 15 people.
The 10 person limit also applies to arts and culture activities such as theatre performances and dance recitals, faith gatherings, and sports and physical activity. Businesses such as theatres, concerts, festivals and sporting activities also must adhere to the 10-person limit.
Nova Scotia is allowing summer day camps for children to open as long as they have a plan to follow public health measures to guard against COVID-19. The plans must cover areas such as increased cleaning, staggered pick up and drop off times and the screening of staff and campers.
Private campgrounds can now reopen, but only at 50 percent capacity and they must ensure public health protocols are followed, including adequate distancing between campsites. Provincial campgrounds are to open June 15 at reduced capacity to ensure a minimum of six metres between individual sites.
Most businesses ordered shut in late March were allowed to reopen on June 5, if they have a plan that follows physical distancing protocols. The list of businesses includes bars and restaurant dining rooms, hair salons, barber shops, gyms and yoga studios, among others.
Trails and provincial and municipal parks can reopen along with garden centres, nurseries and similar businesses, but playground equipment is still off limits.
Public beaches have reopened along with outdoor activities like archery, horseback riding, golf, paddling, boating and tennis, with the proviso that social distancing and hygiene be maintained. Sportfishing is permitted and people can attend boating, yacht or sailing clubs for the purpose of preparing boats for use.
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island has extended its public health emergency until June 14. Premier Dennis King says people wanting to travel to seasonal residences must apply, and those will be put through a risk assessment before approval. Seasonal residents will also be tested for COVID-19 before completing the two weeks they must spend in self-isolation after arriving in the province.
As of June 1, the province allows in-house dining at restaurants, small groups to participate in recreational and some sporting activities and libraries to reopen. Phase three also allows gatherings of up to 15 people indoors and 20 people outdoors and the reopening of child-care centres.
New Brunswick
The activities now allowed include outdoor gatherings of up to 50 people, indoor religious services of up to 50 people, low-contact team sports and the opening of a long list of facilities including swimming pools, gyms, rinks, water parks, and yoga and dance studios.
Anyone who has travelled outside of New Brunswick will not be allowed to visit early learning and child-care facilities for 14 days.
Quebec
Quebec began allowing outdoor gatherings with a maximum of 10 people from three families with social distancing in place on May 22. Parks and pools can reopen across the province but are still be subject to physical distancing and other health measures
Day camps across the province will be allowed to open as of June 22, with physical distancing and other COVID-19 health measures in effect. That means smaller groups of children and frequent handwashing. Sleep-away summer camps won’t be allowed to reopen until next year.
Sports teams resumed outdoor practices on June 8, and matches can resume at the end of the month. That includes baseball, soccer and any other sports that can be played outdoors. But players will have to keep a safe distance between them.
Camping is now allowed outside the Montreal and Joliette regions, as are cottage rentals.
Checkpoints set up to slow the spread of COVID-19 came down on May 18 in various parts of Quebec, including between Gatineau and Ottawa. Meanwhile, Quebecers hoping to drive to Iles-de-la-Madeleine this summer will be permitted to travel through New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island to take the ferry as of June 26. Quebec travellers will need to get a document permitting the trip and they won’t be able to cross the provincial borders without it.
Ontario
All regions of Ontario except for Toronto, Peel and Windsor-Essex will be in Stage 2 of the province’s phased reopening plan as of Friday. Most areas of the province were allowed to enter the second stage last Friday, except for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, some regions that border the United States and those with COVID-19 outbreaks among migrant workers.
The second stage includes restaurant patios, hair salons and swimming pools. Child-care centres across Ontario can also reopen. Meanwhile, the limit on social gatherings increased from five to 10 provincewide, but people must still stay two metres away from anyone outside their own household. The new guidelines mean physical distancing does not need to be practised between members of the same circle.
Restrictions on wedding and funeral ceremonies across the province are also being eased as part of the phased reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of people allowed to attend an indoor ceremony is restricted to 30 percent capacity of the venue, while outdoor events will be limited to 50 people. However, the number of people allowed to attend all wedding and funeral receptions remains at 10.
Golf courses can reopen though clubhouses can only open for washrooms and take-out food. Marinas, boat clubs and public boat launches can also open, as can private parks and campgrounds for trailers and RVs whose owners have a full season contract, and businesses that board animals.
Short-term rentals including lodges, cabins, cottages, homes and condominiums were allowed to resume operations on June 5.
Backcountry campers returned to provincial parks June 1 with certain stipulations. No more than five people can occupy a single campsite, unless they live in the same household. Provincial parks also expanded permission for picnics and off-leash pet areas.
Manitoba
Playgrounds, golf courses and tennis courts have reopened as well, along with parks and campgrounds. The province allows groups of up to 25 people indoors and 50 people outdoors.
Bars, tattoo parlours, dine-in restaurants, fitness clubs and pools could reopen June 1 under limited capacity. A ban on non-essential travel to the province’s north was also eased starting June 1. Southern residents can now travel directly to cottages, campgrounds and parks, but are being told to avoid visiting northern communities.
Film productions can also resume, as well outdoor religious services with no crowd limits providing people stay in their vehicles.
Movie theatres and casinos must remain closed. Concerts, professional sporting events and other large public gatherings won’t be considered until at least September.
Saskatchewan
The third phase of Saskatchewan’s reopening plan started June 8. The province is lifting a ban on non-essential travel in the north. The government says up to 150 people or one-third the capacity of a building, whichever is less, can attend church services, including weddings and funerals.
The province says outdoor graduations can be held with a maximum 30 graduates per class and an overall attendance of 150 people.
Restaurants and bars can open at half capacity, with physical distancing between tables. Phase 1 also included reopened golf courses and campgrounds. Phase 4 could see arenas, swimming pools and playgrounds opening, while in Phase 5, the province would consider lifting restrictions on the size of public gatherings.
Alberta
In Alberta, everything from gyms and arenas to spas, movie theatres, libraries, pools and sports activities got the green light to reopen on June 12.
More people were also allowed to book campsites and sit in restaurants at the same time.
Fifty people can now gather indoors and up to 100 can congregate outside.
Among the other activities allowed to go ahead are casinos and bingo halls, community halls, instrumental concerts, massage, acupuncture and reflexology, artificial tanning and summer schools.
The 50 per cent capacity for campgrounds is being lifted. And all sites are to open for reservations by the end of the month.
There is no cap on people attending worship services as long as they physically distance and practise proper hand-washing and other hygiene protocols.
Restaurants can open at full capacity, but no more than six people are allowed per table.
Major festivals and sporting events remain banned, as do nightclubs and amusement parks. Vocal concerts are not being allowed, given that singing carries a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission.
British Columbia
The provincial government allowed a partial reopening of the B.C. economy starting May 19. The reopening plans are contingent on organizations and businesses having plans that follow provincial guidelines to control the spread of COVID-19. Hotels, resorts and parks will follow in June.
Parents in B.C. were given the choice of allowing their children to return to class on a part-time basis starting June 1. The government said its goal is for the return of full-time classes in September, if it’s safe.
Under the part-time plan, for kindergarten to Grade 5, most students will go to school half time, while grades 6 to 12 will go about one day a week. A mix of online and classroom post-secondary education is planned for September.
Conventions, large concerts, international tourism and professional sports with a live audience will not be allowed to resume until either a vaccine is widely available, community immunity has been reached, or effective treatment can be provided for the disease.
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories announced on May 12 a three-phase reopening plan, but the government didn’t say when it would be implemented.
The plan includes more gatherings and the possible reopening of some schools and businesses. However, the territory’s borders remain closed indefinitely to non-residents and non-essential workers.
There are several requirements that must be met before any measures are relaxed: there must be no evidence of community spread; travel entry points in the territory are strong and secure; risks are reduced from workers coming into the territory; and expanded community testing is available.
Yukon
Yukon is extending its state of emergency for another 90 days, though no new cases of COVID-19 have been identified since April 20.
The territory says new guidelines have been released for long-term care facilities that will allow for visits with one designated person at a pre-set location outdoors.
The territory also says bars with an approved health and safety plan may also reopen at half capacity under certain other restrictions starting June 19.
Travel restrictions will be lifted between Yukon and B.C. after July 1 under the second phase of the territory’s pandemic restart plan.
After that date, travellers between the province and territory will no longer be required to self-isolate for 14 days.
The territory says monitoring the status of neighbouring jurisdictions will determine if it’s safe to further lift restrictions.
Yukon has been gradually easing pandemic restrictions since May 15 with dine-in restaurants, day cares and recreational centres reopening.
Territorial parks and campgrounds will open for the summer next week.
Two households of up to 10 people in total are currently able to interact with each other as part of a “household bubble.”