Over 70K People Are Demanding That Doug Ford Re-Open Ontario Ski Hills

Plenty of Ontarians had a white Christmas this year, but thousands of people are upset that they couldn't take advantage of Ontario's ski hills.

Over 70,000 people have signed a petition demanding that Doug Ford re-open slopes in the province after they were forced to close as part of the provincial lockdown which began on December 26.

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73,104 Number of people who have signed the petition

The petition was started last week by Dwayne Cardoso, who says Doug Ford has made a mistake.

"Skiing should be the safest sport to participate in with face coverings, mandatory space between patrons (skis and snowboards easily facilitate social distancing), [and] riding chair lifts with only family," Cardoso wrote. 

Speaking to the Toronto Star, Cardoso, a Bradford resident, said he was immunocompromised but still felt more comfortable on the slopes than in big-box stores.

According to the Ontario Snow Resorts Association, Ontario is the only region in North America that shut down ski hills specifically to curb COVID-19 spread. 

Narcity reached out to the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries but did not hear back by press time.

"Keep the lifts and slopes open, close the shops and restaurants to help mitigate Covid spread," Cardoso wrote. "Please, Premier Ford, reconsider your position."