Ottawa

Gatineau Park to open to local users May 9

The sprawling park will soon be opened to users who can access it on foot or by bike, the National Capital Commission says.

Announcement comes as Ottawa enters post-peak period

People make their way through Gatineau Park in this pre-pandemic photo. The National Capital Commission says the park will reopen to local users only May 9. (Jean-Sébastien Marier/Radio-Canada)

Gatineau Park will reopen May 9 to people who can access the sprawling park on foot or by bike, the National Capital Commission (NCC) says.

The date aligns with the Quebec government's plan to "gradually reopen the Outaouais region," the NCC said in a statement.

Parking lots, however, will remain closed, and the NCC is urging people who don't live in the park's neighbouring municipalities to stay away for the time being.

Users will also have to maintain physical distancing, and signs will be posted throughout the park.

Closed since March

The announcement comes as the NCC unveiled its three-phase plan to gradually reopen parks and other amenities to the public, starting with local access and gradually ramping up to access levels that pre-dated the pandemic.

It also comes the same day that public health officials in Ottawa said the city had entered a "post-peak period."

Gatineau Park's trails, shelters and parking lots have all been closed since early March.

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