High Park cherry blossoms hit peak bloom in a month and still no rules from the city
The coming 2021 cherry blossom season in Toronto may be the most anticipated one the city's ever had.
It's always a sign that spring has arrived, that summer is around the corner, and it's a moment of beauty and colour in a city that is getting increasingly grey (and glassy, and steely) as condos rise on every corner.
But this year, though there are vaccines on the way, Toronto is in the grip of a third wave. Thousands usually gather, and thousands will want to this year, but the city has still not decided what the visitation rules will be.
We may not be allowed to visit at all.
Some may remember that last year, seeing the cherry blossoms was limited to a livestream as a way of combatting the quickly spreading pandemic. Despite that, there were still people who broke those rules and did more than just visit.
Whether it will be a return to virtual visits, or if the park will be opened up to in person viewing with a limited capacity remains to be seen.
"The City’s plan for this year's Cherry Blossom bloom in High Park is still being developed, we’ll have more information to closer to bloom," the city told blogTO.
With snow expected to fall in early April, the lowered weather could delay the cherry blossom bloom by a few days, leaving the city extra time to work out a plan.
During a year that many people have spent mostly stuck at home, it would be nice to be able to take a stroll through the blossoming park, enjoying it with others in the general vicinity, but we need a plan to keep everybody safe.
We're still waiting.
Hector Vasquez
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