As a lifetime Orillia resident, I am outraged at what I saw in Couchiching Beach Park the afternoon of June 28, 2020.

My family and I drove through the park around 1:00 pm and saw very large groups of people on the beach ignoring social distancing guidelines. The number of visitors at the park was easily comparable to days like Canada Day, boat shows, and fairs.

Shortly after we left the park I called to report the behavior, only to find out from the operator that they’ve been getting calls all day about the situation.

If you’ve been getting calls all day, why is there still a crowd of 1500+ people on the beach?

On a beautiful, hot and sunny day it’s very easy to predict that the public beaches in our city will be utilized. To protect the safety of our residents, we are asking for regular patrolling of these public spaces, identification to be provided, and those who are not residents of Orillia should be fined.