Why we can't re-open the park to the public any time soon

When deciding to close Breakwater Park, Mayor Paterson himself acknowledged that enforcement is difficult there. What he didn't say is that police and bylaw officers themselves are exposed by the inspection and enforcement process, and that reducing this risk is an imperative: If an outbreak occurs among police and bylaw officers, enforcement will be diminished, the lack of which has already proven itself the likely reason for the current outbreak at Queen's. From this, we can say that for the safety of our entire enforcement system, hotspots such as Breakwater Park are better closed to the public until the virus is under control. Thus, temporarily repurposing it into a covid-free zone for staff and patients allows for its continued usefulness as a park, while entirely mitigating its risk as a covid vector for community transmission and protecting our law enforcement capability.

“...enforcement is challenging when crowds get that large, especially since the provincial order does allow for multiple outdoor gatherings of up to five people.” Mayor Paterson