Ontario’s top doc won’t stop cottagers from travelling north despite risk of $5,000 daily fine

Dr. David Williams, the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, issued a note to his local counterparts last weekend, saying that though health officials should “discourage” the use of cottages at this time, the province should not move forward with a legal ban for those who choose to do so.

“After consultation… my current recommendation is to not prohibit access to secondary residences through legal order, but to continue to provide communications that discourage their use,” Williams said in the May 3 note.

Williams was asked to comment on the issue after property owners in Haldimand and Norfolk counties were legally banned from moving into their cottages this month under Section 22 of the Health Protection and Promotion act. Local health officials warned homeowners who ignored the ban that they could face fines of up to $5,000 per day.

Premier Doug Ford, whose family owns property in cottage country, said that seasonal residents are wanting to return to their cottages and that he can only “hold the big gates back” for so long.

“In Muskota, the vast majority of taxes are paid through cottager,” Ford said on Monday. “There is only so long you can hold back taxpayers from going to their cottages.”

According to Phil Harding, Mayor of Township of Muskota Lakes, around 80 percent of the region’s population are seasonal residents and make up a significant portion of the local tax base as well.

“We probably represent, across the three big Muskota lakes, close to $15 billion worth of assessed value,” Harding told CTV News Toronto.

“When you have 80 percent of the people who have that significant of an investment in this province and in the area, they want to check on their properties—and I respect that.”

Harding has asked traveling residents to respect those who live in cottage country full time by remaining on their own properties and limiting travel to that which deals with necessary property upkeep.

“I would certainly say you do not want to be travelling back and forth at this particular time from your cottage, just to enjoy your weekend,” Harding said.

The same message is being backed up by Bracebridge Mayor Graydon Smith, who requested seasonal residents “look inside their hearts” before making the move to travel north.

“What do I really need right now. Do I need to be at my cottage, or do I want to be at my cottage, and what's the best thing for Muskoka, Ontario, Canada to move this pandemic along to a point where we can all get back to semi-normal,” Smith said.

Instead of contradicting an official order, Dr. Williams said in his weekend note that his “key message” will be to avoid travel to cottage country.

“My advice has been, and remains, that people should preferentially stay home and not access secondary residences, recognizing that there may be limited, essential reasons to do so.”