canadas wonderland opening

Canada's Wonderland pushes back overly optimistic opening date and nobody is surprised

Toronto haters are having an "I told you so" moment as Canada's Wonderland announces that — suprise, surprise — it won't be opening for the season this coming Friday after all. 

"We continue to prepare for a 2021 reopening and look forward to welcoming guests back to Canada's Wonderland this summer for some long-awaited fun in a safe, outdoor environment," reads an update published to the popular attraction's website dated May 11.

"Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our opening date has been postponed. We anticipate that in the coming weeks, we'll have details to share about an early to mid-summer opening date."

The Vaughan amusement park had previously announced back in January that it would open for the season on May 14 while Ontario was under stay-at-home orders amid a provincewide shutdown.

Wonderland brass had no doubt been hopeful that Toronto would be back in the province's reopening framework by now, and at a level where riding rollercoasters was legally permitted.

The irony is that we did go back into the framework after that stay-at-home order was lifted in March... but things got a lot worse from there, prompting Ontario Premier Doug Ford to declare another state of emergency that officials say we likely won't escape from until at least the end of May.

Instead of gearing up for a grand reopening, Canada's Wonderland is currently serving as a mass vaccination clinic, and quite obviously can't open under current government restrictions.

Ontario's minister of heritage, sport, tourism and culture had alluded to the fact that this could happen not long after Wonderland announced its May reopening date — a date that many people scoffed at as unrealistic and even "insane."

"Our government continues to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic closely, but it is far too early to speculate on how and when restrictions will be loosened to permit Canada's Wonderland to reopen," said Minister Lisa McLeod in January.

"I'll continue to work with large scale attractions across the province to develop a safe reopening plan informed with the advice from Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health."

Fortunately for WonderStans, the park has extended the validity of all current 2020/21 season passes through to Labour Day of 2022 in light of the current public health crisis.

"Safety is our number one priority and we've developed a reopening plan that meets all required health and safety regulations," reads the update published on Tuesday. "This plan is currently with Ontario's Science Advisory Table and we await further guidance on our opening date."

I wouldn't hold my breath if I were them.

Lead photo by

Yana Bukharova


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