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
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.