A solitary schoolbus sits on an otherwise empty parking lot at a school in Mississauga. Schools were supposed to reopen on April 6 after an extended, three-week March break, but will now stay shut and switch to online education for an indefinite period as Ontario’s coronavirus cases continue to rise.  

Some of the messages of hope and encouragement drawn in chalk on a pathway to a park in Mississauga.

Even as recently as a month ago, 70 cents a litre at a gas station would have led to lines of vehicles around the block. This morning when I went to fill up, there was only one car there. Only a few weeks back, rates hovered around $1.30 a litre, before the virus, work-from-home orders, and a fuel fight between Saudi Arabia and Russia changed everything.

These basketball courts at Rick Hansen, popular with kids who would use them until late in the evening, lie empty as urgent new appeals went out across the province today.

A bounce, bounce, bounce, then a thwack as the ball hit the board before dropping through the hoop on a well-lit driveway. The teenager practicing his basketball skills was about the only person outside just after sundown on a pleasantly warm Sunday; the sound of the bouncing ball carrying across the otherwise quiet neighbourhood.

Signs of life in the park today, with a few dogs being walked, a mum jogging behind her bicycling daughter, and a few runners on the track. That last group wasn't social distancing, and would have been lucky not to have been ticketed by police who were just outside the park watching for people staying too close.

It was only a matter of time, I suppose. The sprawling Riverwood Conservancy, one of the few places to remain open through the gradual shutdown of the city, finally barred vehicles from entering. Visitors remain welcome, but police officers are on hand to remind those not following the new rules that social distancing is a thing. Meanwhile, the first signs of spring at Riverwood with these tiny blue flowers brightening the still mostly dead brown grass along the trails.

Sometime around now, the floodlights at the baseball field at Fallingbrook Park would fill up the night skies as players from local leagues beagn spring training. Not on this night, though, with dark clouds closing in to snuff out the last embers of the glowing sun.

It's a sight that has become increasingly familiar at grocery stores everywhere in the city… long lineups of people, standing a safe distance apart, waiting to be allowed in while those inside finish shopping. And this on a weekday afternoon!

A draped cross is all there is to mark a bitterly cold Good Friday at the 153-year-old St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Streetsville. All places of workship remain closed in the city.

A sign thanking essential and frontline workers outside a residence in Mississauga. Similar signs celebrating these "super-heroes" — as one sign put it — have been popping up outside homes around the city.

Easter is supposed to signify renewal. The trees at Fallingbrook Park, laid barren through the harsh winter, are finally seeing renewal themselves with the first hints of colour returning to their branches.

Let there be light… The atrium at Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga, which is now mostly off limits to all visitors as it focuses its attention on the tough weeks ahead.

As the lockdown continues, baking supplies appear to have taken over from toilet rolls as the big in-demand item, as these mostly empty shelves attest. Meanwhile, a shopper at the No Frills store seems pleased to have scored one of the last toilet rolls in stock.

Kraziness at Krispy Kreme: This was the lineup of vehicles, taking up the entire, massive parking lot, to purchase doughnuts at Krispy Kreme this evening. The wait time to get to the pickup window was an estimated two hours. Krispy Kreme appeared to have gone into decline in recent years as Canadians became more health-conscious, but the pandemic has given the store a huge boost with lineups like this a daily occurence.

Netflix and Chili: With temperatures dropping below the freezing mark, thought it might be a good idea to take a break from the daily walk to settle in like so many others during this pandemic…with Netflix and a bowl of chili.

Even if the wintry weather hadn't returned, it's unlikely there would have been anyone playing in the park. This week, the first fines were handed out across the GTA for those found to be using park equipment.

The scene this morning at Square One, Canada's second largest shopping mall. On most weekends, it's hard to find parking here. Now, despite just a single lot staying open, there are barely any vehicles in sight. Walmart, Whole Foods and a few others deemed essential are the only stores allowed to operate here for now.

A solitary man exercises at sunrise outside the gazebo at Port Credit. This is one of the few stretches where it is still possible to park your vehicle and walk /run along the lakefront, but the chilly weather has combined with pandemic fears to keep most people indoors.

Shadow selfie.

A couple takes the trail bridge across the Credit River in Mississauga. The trails, which remain open through the pandemic for those who want to get in their exercise, have been mostly quiet this week thanks to the unseasonably cold Arctic air.

Credit Valley Hospital's dedicated drive-thru entrance for Covid-19 assessment. The hospital remains closed off to all but patients and staff.

Signs of the times: Social distancing markers were pretty much unheard of even a few weeks ago. Now they are everywhere — banks (like the one at RBC above), groceries, pharmacies…and pretty much at every business that remains open through this crisis.

The ice has long melted away, but the Rink Closed sign remains in place at Celebration Square. With City Hall shut for the pandemic, it appears there's no one to take down the sign or the barriers which are no longer needed.

Finally, warmth. The weeks-long near-freezing temperatures gave way to some much-needed weekend sun, and it brought out lots of people enjoying the Credit River-hugging trails at Riverwood. Fortunately, the conservatory is spread over acres of land, allowing for easy social distancing.

A mother plays with her child at a mostly deserted Celebration Square, with the closed Civic Centre as a backdrop. The square hosts most large outdoor city events, but it seems unlikely to be hosting anything new anytime soon.

What a wild ride this pandemic has been. Pictures of animals taking over places that humans normally inhabit have popped up in cities around the world. This evening, it was my turn to run into a small herd of deer while out on the trails. They didn’t seem particularly perturbed although they were only a few metres away and barely camouflaged in the still-mostly-barren trees.

A cyclist takes a breather on a bench alonsgide the Credit River in Mississauga. The warmer weather, which comes at the tail end of a wintry April, has seen more cyclists, joggers and trail walkers come out for air.

Even at times like these — perhaps especially at times like these — you notice that strangers can be kind. I took that first picture when out on a short photo walk in the village of Islington today, not thinking too much about it. Here was this senior in a stroller and what looked like a scarf pulled down to his chest, watching the world go by. Twenty minutes later, when I was headed back, a healthcare worker from the clinic across the street appeared to have noticed him and came out to fit him with a proper mask.

I was out on the trails at River Grove and taking pictures of this fallen tree that almost looked like a piece of art, when a fellow walker stopped and pointed. "Did you see the card that someone must have placed here?" Indeed, it turned out there were several cards hidden in trees around the area, with messages promoting kindness. A nice thought to bring this April series to a close.

Next: May

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