Orillia Implements Short-Term Waterfront Parking And Boat Launch Program

A message from the City of Orillia:

The City of Orillia is implementing a short-term waterfront parking program in an effort to deal with urgent COVID-19 health and safety related issues at Orillia waterfronts.

The program allows City of Orillia taxpayers to park and launch their boats for free but requires visitors to pay $50 for each.

“Orillia prides itself on being a compassionate, welcoming and inclusive community, so much so that we made it part of our vision statement. Unfortunately, due to the recent overcrowding of our local parks and beaches, which have made it nearly impossible to enforce the Province’s gathering restrictions and physical distancing measures in place to stop the spread of COVID-19, we have had to take decisive action to limit the amount of people visiting our waterfronts. The health and safety of our residents is the top priority,” said Mayor Steve Clarke.

The waterfront parking program will be in place from Thursday to Sunday between the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., starting July 9, 2020 and lasting through to Sept. 13, 2020 (including the Civic Holiday Monday and Labour Day Monday).

The locations included in the waterfront parking program are Couchiching Beach Park, Centennial Park, Veterans’ Memorial Park and J.B. Tudhope Memorial Park lots and surrounding streets and the Couchiching Beach Park and Collins Drive boat launches.

Parking and boat launches will remain free on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Terry Fox Circle will be open to traffic from Monday to Wednesday, but closed from Thursday to Sunday in a further effort to control parking at Couchiching Beach Park.

FOR RESIDENTS:

City of Orillia taxpayers will be able to park for free provided they obtain their Resident Parking Permit. Permits are available through the City’s S.U.N. System at orillia.ca/SUN. If you’ve signed up for a recreation program before you should already have a S.U.N. account. If you are new to the City’s S.U.N. System, you will have to create an account and be verified. Once in your S.U.N. account, you will be able to register and print your Resident Parking Permit under the Memberships tab. Please see the handout below for step-by-step-information.

You will need proof of residency or payment of City of Orillia taxes to obtain a permit. Permits will be tied directly to a vehicle’s licence plate number.

The City of Orillia strongly suggests applying online and printing your Resident Parking Permit prior to arriving at our waterfront parks or boat launches. If you must obtain your resident parking permit in person, please visit one of the following locations between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Thursday to Sunday:

• Couchiching Beach Park
  • Waterfront Centre
  • Dr. Seymore Conservatory (greenhouse building)
• J.B. Tudhope Memorial Park
  • Administrative Building (Kids for Turtles building)

Resident Parking Permits must be displayed on the dashboard of your vehicle with the corresponding vehicle licence plate number clearly visible.

FOR VISITORS:

Visitors to Orillia will have to pay a $50 flat rate per day to park their vehicle at waterfront parks and $50 to launch their boats. Boat launch daily permits can be purchased at both the Couchiching Beach and Collins Drive boat launches.

Visitor parking for Couchiching Beach Park, Centennial Park and Veterans’ Memorial Park is limited to Municipal Lots 8 and 12 (see key map attached) and can be purchased through the pay-and-display machine or by using the City’s Passport Parking app. Residential streets near Couchiching Beach Park and the Collins Drive boat launch will be reserved for City of Orillia residents – no visitor parking is allowed in these areas.

Visitor parking passes for J.B. Tudhope Memorial Park can be purchased at the Administrative Building near the parking lot.

At all locations, payment will be accepted by debit or credit only.

Strict parking enforcement will be in place at all parks and surrounding streets and highways. Those without a Resident Parking Permit or visitor parking proof of purchase will be ticketed and/or towed.

The temporary waterfront parking program does not provide our neighbouring township residents with free parking passes. The City of Orillia understands and values the role township residents play in our local economy and community – as employees, shoppers and as volunteers. Provided the current pressures of COVID-19, which have resulted in overcrowding of our parks and beaches and numerous large gatherings, we are unable to accommodate township residents in the short-term parking program at this time. The City of Orillia will be completing a long-term parking strategy in the future, which will contemplate including residents from neighbouring townships in the program.

“During normal times we welcome our visitors and neighbouring township residents to our waterfront parks with open arms, but these are not normal times. Provided the urgent health and safety concerns presented by COVID-19 and the quick implementation of this short-term parking program, we know there will be many outside of the city who will be upset over this program. Please know that this is intended as a short-term solution to a very urgent COVID-related issue and we look forward to welcoming all once again and certainly our neighbouring partners as soon as possible,” said Mayor Clarke.

If you plan to visit a City of Orillia beach or boat launch, please do so safely and responsibly.

• We ask that you visit beaches and boat launches close to your home.
• Follow physical distancing guidelines of 2m/6ft.
• Adhere to gathering restrictions and social circles of no more than 10.
• Practice good hand hygiene and wear a mask when physical distancing is a challenge.

Please follow the COVID-19-related restrictions in place so we can all enjoy these amenities safely.

For more information visit the City of Orillia website.