Over the past week, Premier Doug Ford has made several announcements regarding the slow reopening of the economy. Starting today, all retail stores with a street entrance are allowed to offer curbside pickup and delivery services, while other businesses are now able to open their doors to customers. Here’s a list of what’s open in Toronto.
High Park
High Park will remain closed to vehicular traffic for the rest of the emergency so people have more space to enjoy the park & keep their distance from others. Thank you to @TorontoPFR staff, @cityoftoronto bylaw officers, & @TorontoPolice for working together during the closure.
— John Tory (@JohnTory) May 10, 2020
Though city parks have remained open during the pandemic, the city decided to close High Park on April 30 to prevent crowds from forming during the cherry blossom peak.
Mayor John Tory posted a video on Twitter on May 10 saying, “The city will begin to open High Park at 8:00 p.m. Sunday and the park will be fully open subject to physical distancing and other regulations on Monday.”
The premier also made an announcement on May 9 that provincial parks and conservation reserves will be open starting May 11.
Hardware and safety supply stores
The province announced that hardware stores and safety supply stores were allowed to open their doors and have customers shop in-store starting Saturday, May 9. This includes large chains such as Home Depot, Home Hardware, Canadian Tire, Lowe’s, and Rona. Some of the smaller hardware stores in Toronto have chosen not to open their doors just yet.
Dudley’s Hardware on Church Street and CAAM United Hardware on Augusta Avenue have chosen to continue curbside pickup operations instead of opening their doors to customers.
“This was a difficult decision, but as a family-owned business that has operated for over 35 years, we decided the health and safety of the owners and their friends and loved ones, as well as the community, must take priority,” said CAAM United Hardware in a Facebook post.
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
After closing its gates in early April due to concerns about a lack of social distancing on the grounds, Mount Pleasant Cemetery has reopened to the public. The gates will be open for public access Monday to Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. On Sundays, the gates will be open from 3:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
“Access to all buildings, including indoor mausolea and indoor columbaria is restricted to essential services needs by appointment only and doors remain locked,” reads the statement on the Mount Pleasant Group website.
On-site services are still available when required because a death has occurred. These services include funeral arrangements, services, burials, and cremations. There are restrictions on the number of people that can attend a service and details are available on the website.
Garden centres and nurseries
On Friday, May 8, garden centres and nurseries in the province were allowed to open their doors to customers looking to pick up plants for the spring gardening season.
Many local garden centres have now opened their doors and are maintaining physical distancing protocols for customers and employees. Others are in the process of implementing these measures and will be opening later this week. Here is a list outlining the plans of some local garden centres and nurseries:
Car washes and dealerships
Automatic and self-serve car washes are allowed to resume operations. The Bayview Car Wash reopened on May 4 with new operating hours from Mondays to Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. They are also sanitizing steering wheels, shifters and all vehicle handles at no extra cost.
Dealerships are allowed to operate by appointment only. The Toronto Auto Mall in North York has available appointment times listed on its Facebook page.