Visitors pack Sask. campgrounds in first long weekend without COVID-19 restrictions
Campgrounds were packed with people looking to enjoy the nice weather, great outdoors and the first three-day weekend since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted on July 11.
Matthew Lee made his way to Pike Lake Provincial Park to camp with family, traveling from La Ronge.
“The first night was already just a blast and a half. I’ve had so much fun seeing everybody’s friendly faces.”
Joining Lee are 22 family members from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. They have been waiting for the opportunity to gather after Lee's grandfather Wayne Lee, 70, passed away. The pandemic put plans on hold with inter-provincial travel closed off and other restrictions in place.
“This weekend what we're doing is a family memorial trip for my late grandfather who passed away last year,” said Lee. “We all wanted to do something in the old man’s honour.”
The mighty Lee contingent weren’t the only ones packing into the Pike Lake.
“When it comes to sites you can reserve, we are at capacity,” said Dan French, executive director of park operations for Saskatchewan Parks.
French said the parks have been busy since the beginning of the season and have stayed busy since the beginning of July after the schoolyear ended. The province's parks are also seeing lots of day visitors come out to the beaches at spots like Pike Lake, Blackstrap, and Good Spirit.
“Our day-use visitors are off the charts.”
Sturgeon Lake Regional Park which has been busy all summer is jam-packed this weekend. The park hosted a volleyball tournament, horseshoe tournament and held a beach party with fireworks on Saturday.
“It has been unprecedented actually,” said Melanie Neufeld who manages Sturgeon Lake Regional Park. “We can’t take any more campers, we are like beyond full staff, and we called in more people.”
Fire bans remain in place at some of the provincial parks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.