Off-leash dog parks across Toronto will be reopening today after being shuttered for nearly two months.

In a tweet, Mayor John Tory said city staff are currently in the process of opening off-leash areas locked due to the pandemic.

Dog parks, along with other amenities within public and private parks, were ordered to close in March in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Facilities such as playground and sports courts are still not permitted to reopen in Ontario.

Speaking to CP24 last week, Tory said since the off-leash parks have closed, there has been an uptick in the number of dogs running around in areas of city parks not designated for off-leash activity.

“We should get those off-leash areas going,” he said. “I want the dog owners to be able to use those parks.”

The mayor said staff had begun to clean up off-leash areas in preparation for their reopening.

He added that he was hopeful that the province would soon ease some of the restrictions in place for dog owners, including rules preventing pets from being professionally groomed.

“I don't really see the harm… with dog grooming if you do the handing over of the dog or pet... in a careful way. People don't need to have contact and the same (is true) with the off-leash parks,” he said last week.

Dog groomers have since been included in the list of business owners permitted to reopen their stores.