Ontario government declares community gardens essential especially for those facing food insecurity.
Under the direction of the Government of Ontario and in conjunction with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Town of Cobourg will be opening the Cobourg Community Garden at James Tracey Park located at 450 Walton Street.
The Government of Ontario announced on April 25, 2020 that they are allowing the use of allotment and community gardens across Ontario, provided that gardeners practice physical distancing, cleaning and disinfecting commonly used equipment and surfaces, and do not gather in groups of more than five. These community gardens provide an essential source of fresh food for some individuals and families, and play an important role in supporting people vulnerable to food insecurity during the COVID-19 outbreak.
“In addition to providing space to grow seasonal vegetables and plants for those without the space or resources at home, the Cobourg Community Garden also supports our most vulnerable through partnerships with local food banks,” says Mayor John Henderson. “We are looking forward to seeing our local community garden open again this year and the gardeners back growing fresh foods.”
The Cobourg Community Garden group will be adhering to the following measures to ensure the health and safety of all garden members:
· No sharing of garden tools or equipment. Gardeners will have to bring their own tools.
· Disinfecting the garden hose and encouraging members to wear gloves during use.
· Members are asked not to touch the compost bin when dumping waste.
· All garden members must adhere to physical distancing guidelines by maintaining a two meter distance from other gardeners.
· Limit of five people at the community garden at one time.
The Town of Cobourg would like to remind citizens that the Cobourg Community Garden is not open to the public, but to garden members only. If you would like more information about renting a garden plot, please contact the Cobourg Community Garden group by email at info.ccgg.cobourg@gmail.com.
Stay Informed
The Town of Cobourg has launched a dedicated COVID-19 webpage that includes program and service updates, news issued from the municipality and risk reduction advice. Updates will be posted to www.cobourg.ca/covid19 as they come in.
For local health unit updates visit the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s website www.hkpr.on.ca. For provincial information including the status of cases in the province visit www.ontario.ca/page/2019-novel-coronavirus.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
