By Gordon Lambie
Local Journalism Initiative
In mid-May, the province of Quebec gave the green light to residential summer camps to open up their cabins and dust off their cots after having stayed closed in the summer of 2020. With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, however, the realities facing camps over the next few weeks are more complicated that a simple yes or no decision.
Speaking at the end of May, shortly after the go-ahead from Quebec City, Quebec Camping Association Executive Director Eric Beauchemin said that traditional overnight camps in the province were split into thirds, with one third going ahead, one third holding off, and a final third left in uncertainty about what to do with the short timeline. Between questions about sanitation, capacity limits, and whether or not staff will be able to come and go from the site.