MONTREAL --
For families across Quebec, the arrival of spring usually marks the time to register their children and teenagers for summer camp. However, at the present time, only day camps will be able to open their doors in June. In fact, the overnight sleepaway camps have not been given the mandate to open, thus depriving thousands of young people of a unique experience in nature for a second consecutive summer.
Given the disastrous consequences the pandemic measures have had on the physical and psychological health of children and adolescents, we believe that opening summer camps is more important now than ever.
Socialization and physical activity are essential for the proper physical and mental development during childhood. However, the impact of the pandemic has led to a worrisome increase in isolation, sedentariness, screen time, eating disorders and psychological distress.
For this reason, we feel it is appropriate to consider the many benefits that summer camps offer to children and teenagers. According to a study by the University of Waterloo, camps allow young people to develop their interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, self-confidence and autonomy.
It has also been shown that attending summer camp contributes to the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits, and campers are generally more inclined to participate in sports activities after their stay. Teenagers, now more than ever, need a job that gives them a sense of purpose and the opportunity to develop technology-free relationships. Summer camp meets all of these needs.
Finally, camps give young people, especially those living in urban areas or from underprivileged backgrounds, a rare contact with nature.
Our leaders must realize that reopening summer camps has the potential to directly mitigate the most harmful effects of the pandemic on the health and wellbeing of our young people. However, it is imperative that the opening of overnight camps be conducted in a safe manner, taking into account all associated risks.
Fortunately, the epidemiological situation will evolve in the coming months towards a potentially more favourable context. The progression of vaccination of vulnerable people, combined with a predicted decrease in new cases during the summer period, are both positive factors. We also know that the virus causes minimal medical complications in children and young adults.
Moreover, a study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) among overnight camps who opened during the summer of 2020, gives us hope. The study findings showed that it is entirely possible to provide a safe camp environment when rigorous risk mitigation strategies are in place.
However, developing these measures is a complex process. They must be designed to prevent the introduction of the virus into the camps and to minimize the risk of internal outbreaks. It is therefore urgent that the Quebec government follow Ontario's lead and clarify its intentions in order to give the camps the time they need to develop their sanitary protocols, redesign their facilities and train their staff.
After 12 months of the pandemic, we believe it is our duty as a society to offer our youth the summer they deserve, far from the anguish of the health crisis.
Dr. Earl Rubin is the division director of pediatric infectious diseases at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, part of the MUHC and Dr. Marc Lebel is president of the Association des Pédiatres du Québec
More than 80 experts co-signed this open letter. They include:
Pierre Lavoie
Co-founder, Grand défi Pierre-Lavoie
Dr. Gilles Julien
Social pediatrician, President of the Dr. Julien Foundation
Dr. Marie-Claude Roy
Director, pediatric clinic, CHU-Sherbrooke
Dr. Suzanne Vaillancourt
Assistant director, pediatric emergency medicine, Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Martin Gignac
Head of Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Montreal Children's Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Jean-Sébastien Tremblay-Roy
Intensivist pediatrician
Katherine Frohlich, Ph. D.
Professor, École de santé publique de l’Université de Montréal
Marie-Eve Mathieu, Ph. D.
Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Researcher at CHU Ste-Justine, Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Childhood Obesity
Kevin L’Espérance, M.Sc.
Epidemiologist, biochemist and doctoral researcher in public health and epidemiology at the CR-CHUM
Dr. Marcia Antunes
The Children’s Clinic
Dr. Ilana Bank
Associate professor, pediatric emergency physician, McGill University
Dr. Geneviève Beaulieu
Pediatrician
Nicholas Boucher, M.D.
Resident in Psychiatry, University of Ottawa
Dr. Isabelle Bouchard
Pediatrician, medical director, Camp diabétique de l’est du Québec (CEDEC)
Dr. Josée Brossard
Pediatric hemato-oncologist
Dr. Shirley Blaichman
Community Based Pediatrician
Dr. Benjamin Burko
Pediatrician, Assistant Professor, McGill University, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Elaine Champagne
Community-based pediatrician
Dr. Frédéric Dallaire
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Université de Sherbrooke
Dr. Adrian B. Dancea
Pediatric cardiologist, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Victor De Broux-Leduc, M.D.
Resident in Family medicine, Université de Montréal
Dr. Natacha Deleva
Child psychiatrist, McGill University
Dr. Julie Déry
Radiologist, CHU Sainte-Justine
Dr. Dubravka Diksic
Pediatric emergency physician
Dr. Geoffrey Dougherty
Pediatrician
Dr. Josée Dubois
Intervention radiologist
Emmanuel Fortier M.D.
Doctoral student in biomedical sciences and resident physician in psychiatry, Université de Montréal
Dr. Bethany Foster
Professor, pediatrician, director of the nephrology division of the Montreal Children's Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Chantal Frigon
Director of the Acute Pain Service, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Juliette Garel
Radiologist, CHU Sainte-Justine
Dr. Anna Gomez-Carrillo
Psychiatrist
Dr. Ilana Greenstone
Pediatric emergency physician
Fanny Grenier
Doctor of Psychology of Childhood Social Development
Dr. Anne-Marie Gosselin
Emergency pediatrician, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Annie Janvier
Pediatrician, clinical ethicist, researcher, CHU Sainte-Justine
Dr. Dyan Kimia
Pediatrician
Dr. Lianne Kopel
Assistant professor, division of pediatric respiratory medicine, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Preetha Krishnamoorthy
Pediatric endocrinologist at the Montreal Children's Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Andrew Kujavsky
Family physician
Dr. Robin Kugelmass
Pediatrician
Dr. Audrey Lafontaine
Pediatrician, Complex Care Department, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Yves Langlois
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, McGill University
Edera Lancione
B.Sc. Kinesiology, physical trainer for youth athletes
Dr. Chantale Lapierre
Head of the Department of Medical Imaging, CHU Sainte-Justine
Dr. Anie Lapointe
Pediatrician
Philippe Laramée, M.D.
Resident in emergency medicine, University of Montreal
Dr. Denis Leduc
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, McGill University
Dr. Marie-Astrid Lefebvre
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Infection Control and Prevention, McGill University
Dr. Laurent Legault
Head of Department, Pediatric Endocrinology, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Geneviève Legault
Pediatric neurologist
Dr. Chantal Lemire
Allergist immunologist
Dr. Patricia Li
Pediatrician, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Francis Livernoche
Pediatrician
Dr. Elaine Medoff
Pediatric Allergist, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Marie-Claude Miron
Radiologist, CHU Sainte-Justine
Dr. Ahmed Moussa
Pediatrician neonatologist
Dre Lamia Naccache
Hematologic-oncology pediatrician
Dr. Aisling O’Gorman
Pediatrician, The Montreal Children’s Hospital
Dr. Caroline Ouellet
Emergency pediatrician, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Jesse Papenburg
Pediatric infectious disease microbiologist and epidemiologist, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Catherine Paquet
Pediatrician anesthetist
Dr. Géraldine Pettersen
Pediatrician, CHU Sainte-Justine
Dr. Nicole Pigeon
Pediatrician
Dr. Laurie Plotnick
Division Director, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Yasmine Ratnani
Pediatrician
Dr. Brent Richards
Professor of Medicine, McGill University
Dr. Anne Marie Sbrocchi
Director, Pediatric Day Hospital Services, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Vicki Scholten
Pediatrician, CH LaSalle
Dr. Jade Séguin
Pediatric emergency physician, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Nora Setton
Pediatrician, professor, Université de Montréal
Dr. Richard Sheppard
Cardiologist, medical director of the intensive care unit of the Jewish General Hospital
Dr. Sam D. Shemie
Professor of Pediatrics, McGill University
Dr. Dori Shiff
Director of Family Medicine Obstetrics Group, Jewish General Hospital
Dr. Karen Sigman
Pediatric allergist immunologist, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Terry Sigman
Director, Division of Gastroenterology and Pediatric Nutrition, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Judith Simoneau-Roy
Pediatric endocrinologist
Dr. Julie St-Pierre
Director of Clinique 180 de Montréal, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, McGill University, Pediatrician, MUHC
Dre Gabrielle St-Maurice
Pediatrician
Philippe Sylvestre, M.D.
Pediatric resident, University of Montreal
Tina Tran,
M. Sc., Kinesiologist, physical literacy consultant, YMCA of Quebec
Maxime Ulrich M.D.,
Resident in pediatrics, University of Sherbrooke
Patricia Vandecruys
Pharmacist
Dr. Julia von Oettingen
Pediatric endocrinologist, director of the pediatric diabetes clinic at The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Jessica Yeates
Pediatrician
Dr. Samara Zavalkoff
Pediatrician in intensive care, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. David Zielinski
Director of the Pediatric Asthma Clinic, The Montreal Children’s Hospital, MUHC
Dr. Betty Zylbergold
Community pediatrician
