Glen Echo Park was a naturist club opened in 1955 by Marie and Eddie Todorowsky in King, Ontario.[1] When it closed in 2009, it was the oldest nudist camp in Ontario.[2] The camp featured a children’s swimming pool, a playground, a five-unit motel and a shower area. In 1974, a 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) clubhouse was constructed for complete year-round use.
In April 2009, after years of trying to sell the camp to nudists, the owners sold the property; in August 2009, it was announced that the camp would close down in October 2009 as it was bought by a private buyer for personal use.[3][4]
The announcement that the club would close effective October 1, 2009 only gave members about a month's notice.[5] The news of the sale and closure came as a surprise to the membership because they had been given repeated assurances that the park would be sold to someone who would maintain it as a nudist club.[6][7] Because some had significant investments in elaborate cabins that could not easily be moved, many members felt betrayed.[3]
Members fought to keep the park open.[8] A September 2009 Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) ruling gave the members an additional year before they would be required to vacate.[9] This ruling was subsequently overturned when the LTB ruled the act did not apply.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Seniors Shed Shyness Along With Clothes", Kitchener Record, April 8, 1997 (pay site).
- ^ Robyn Doolittle, "Interest sags in nude retreats", Toronto Star, June 4, 2007.
- ^ a b Robyn Doolittle, "Nudists are losing a place to hang out", Toronto Star, August 28, 2009.
- ^ Peats, Don (29 August 2009). "Nudists stripped of their homes". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009.
- ^ "Letter to members". Letter to Members of Glen Echo Park. August 21, 2009.
{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "The Sale of Glen Echo Park". The Echo. Spring 2005.
- ^ "Letter to members". Letter to Members of Glen Echo Park. December 1, 2005.
{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Nudists to appear at hearings to fight for homes in southwestern Ont. park", Canadian Press in Canadaeast.com (Brunswick News), September 28th, 2009.
- ^ Ian Robertson,"Nudists covered for a year", Toronto Sun, September 29, 2009.
- ^ LTB Member Berkowitz's orders of Jan 2010 and Jan 2011