(The Quest/Facebook)

By Aaron Schulze

Bummer Camps

Saskatchewan summer camps in limbo during COVID-19 pandemic

Apr 29, 2020 | 5:41 PM

Warmer temperatures and clearer skies indicate summer is on the horizon, but the COVID-19 pandemic could rain on summer camps’ parades.

One of the Saskatchewan summer camps in limbo is the Quest at Christopher Lake. The camp already had to cancel bookings from March to June under the Saskatchewan State of Emergency, mainly from user groups. While Dyan Mouland, the camp’s director, said they would ideally like to continue hosting camp as usual, she recognizes that it may not be possible.

“We’re still in the process of determining what our summer will look like,” Mouland said. “We’re holding off on announcing [cancellations or postponements] at this moment, but we should know better in a couple of weeks.”

Smaller summer camps bring in around 40 children to the Quest at Christopher Lake, while some rental camps can see between 60 to 90.

Phase Four of the provincial government’s Re-Open Saskatchewan plan features the re-opening of outdoor recreation and entertainment facilities and increases public and private gatherings to 30 people. Mouland said hosting a condensed summer camp is possible, if safe and financially feasible, but the Quest at Christopher Lake could look at other options to run camps.

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“We would look at offering a virtual platform for many of our campers, staff that couldn’t come out, and families,” she said. “We may feel a little discouraged, but we’re not hopeless.”

In terms of the financial impact a summer without camps could look like, Mouland doesn’t believe it would cost the Quest at Christopher Lake from running camps in 2021 and beyond.

“Like many camps, we’re struggling because we lost income,” she said. “One day this will end, and we’ll have our user groups again. We also have committed groups of donors to help us as well. The camp is a ministry. We believe in the ministry and it will carry on regardless of a glitch.”

The first kids summer camp at the Quest at Christopher Lake is tentatively scheduled for the end of June.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow