Ontario’s provincial parks will be open to the public free of charge on Friday, July 15th for all day-use visitors. This is the second year the Ontario government has offered free admission. Last year’s free day-use day drew an estimated 14,802 visitors.
The Ontario provincial government is encouraging everyone to visit a park to improve their health as part of the international “Healthy Parks Healthy People” movement.
On July 15th, if you visit a provincial park that normally charges a fee for day use, the fee will be waived. Charges in addition to regular day use fees still apply for facilities such as swimming pools and equipment rentals.
In addition to the free day use at all provincial parks, some parks are featuring special events on July 15th, including a few in the Kawarthas region. For a list of all special events, visit the Ontario Parks Healthy Park Healthy People website at www.ontarioparks.com/hphp/events.
The special activities and fee-free day use of provincial parks on July 15th recognize that the Province of Ontario has joined the world-wide Healthy Parks Healthy People movement. Launched in Australia in 2000, the movement reinforces and encourages the connections between a healthy environment and a healthy society.
For example, research shows that access to nature and green space plays a vital role in physical and mental health, well-being, and development. Contact with nature has been found to lower blood pressure, strengthen the immune system, help fight disease, and reduce stress.
In addition, activities done in a natural environment reduce anger, fatigue, and sadness when compared to the same activities done in a human-made environment.
“Spending time in a provincial park is a wonderful way to connect with nature and stay healthy,” says Kathryn McGarry, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, which administers Ontario’s provincial parks.
Provincial parks in the Kawarthas
Parks in the Kawarthas region include Balsam Lake near Kirkfield, Emily near Omemee, Ferris near Campbellford, Kawartha Highlands north of Buckhorn, Lake St. Peter north of Maynooth, Mark S. Burnham in Peterborough, Petroglyphs near Woodview, Presqu’ile near Brighton, and Silent Lake near Apsley.
If you’re willing to travel a little north of the Kawarthas, there’s also Algonquin Provincial Park — the most popular provincial park in Canada with more than 2,400 lakes and 1,200 kilometres of streams and rivers.
