The Region of Durham yesterday moved into Stage 2 of the provincial government’s re-opening plan.
As part of this stage, restaurants may open patios—with the option to expand patios on a sidewalk and/or curb/parking lane—in addition to providing take out and/or delivery service, said a municipal statement.
Restaurant owners are advised that the region is expediting Road Occupancy Permits, for these temporary patio expansions, where it is safe to do so. There are no fees associated with the permits.
Restaurants interested in expanding or creating a patio on a sidewalk and/or curb lane should contact their area municipality to begin the process, it said.
Oshawa welcomes reopening
Oshawa City Council yesterday welcomed Ontario Government’s reopening announcement.
“We look forward to our economy safely reopening. For Oshawa, this means that even more businesses and public facilities may begin to reopen while ensuring to incorporate measures to prevent the spread of infection,said Mayor Dan Carter.
He said the city’s Pandemic Steering Committee is carefully reviewing municipal facilities and programs as Oshawa moves into phase two of the gradual reopening.
No change to city programs or operations
“We remind community members that at this time, there is no change to city programs or operations. Prior to reopening public facilities and re-introducing in-person programs and services, the city requires the appropriate time to perform due diligence work and prepare our facilities, as well as ensure mitigation measures are in effect and that we are following the medical advice of the province and region.
“Thank you for your patience – we look forward to making future announcements, said Mayor Carter. “Thank you, Oshawa in your collaborative efforts to combat Covid-19 and flatten the curve in our community. You put the health and safety of your families, neighbours and customers first. These have been challenging and isolating times for many of our community members – thank you for supporting one another. We thank our businesses for making sacrifices and adapting to new ways to do business and to helping where they can. We continue to look at all options to support our local businesses through the recovery. We also want to thank our front-line heath care workers, health professionals and essential workers for your ongoing service and commitment.
He emphasized that while stage two is positive news for Oshawa, “we cannot let our guard down. Covid-19 remains a serious public health risk and we must remember to continue to follow health authority guidelines and government orders. We are all in this together, Oshawa. Remember to do your part to stay safe”.
City of Pickering to enter stage 2 of reopening
City of Pickering said effective as of Friday, June 19, 2020, certain establishments can once again open for business, including restaurants, bars, hair salons, malls, and more.
The city is reviewing what this stage means for the municipality, as well as the time needed to safely implement any facility or amenity reopening. It asked residents to visit pickering.ca/COVID19 for the most up-to-date information.
Summer Camps
The city will offer alternate summer camp programs at various locations throughout the city for children 6-12 years of age. The camps will operate from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm in groups of four children, accompanied by a staff person. Children will maintain physical distance from one another in their groups, as well as other groups. Note that transportation or extended hours will not be provided.
The city will also be offering a virtual “Camp-In-A-Box” experience for children to participate in from home. Registration will begin June 22, 2020. Visit pickering.ca/active to access program details and online registration. Please call the Community Services Department with any questions or for more information at 905.420.4620.
Outdoor Recreation
The city is preparing to open its three outdoor splash pads on Friday, June 19, subject to final inspection by the Durham Region Health Department. Locations include Beachfront Park (9 am – 9 pm), Amberlea Park (9 am – 8 pm), and Foxtail Green (9 am – 8 pm). Health and safety signage will be posted onsite.
Outdoor team sports may resume, if physically distanced, for training only, and with no scrimmages or games. Outside of organized team sports training, the City reminds residents that gatherings of more than 10 people are not permitted, and urges them to practice physical distancing and remain 6 ft/2 m from those outside of their household and social circle.
As a reminder, outdoor playgrounds, play structures and play equipment remain closed, as well as indoor recreation facilities. City facilities remain closed to the public, and select locations are minimally staffed to ensure the continued delivery of essential and critical services.
Temporary Patios
The Ontario government will allow restaurants and bars to temporarily extend outdoor patio spaces to safely accommodate patrons and staff once licensed establishments are permitted to fully reopen for business. While the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) will not require licensees to apply or pay a fee for these temporary extensions, licensed establishments must ensure they have municipal approval and meet all other applicable requirements.
The city has set up an electronic process for review of requests for temporary new and expanded patios for all restaurants, please visit pickering.ca/building for details.
Whitby Stage 2
Whitby said the town is currently reviewing what this next stage means for the municipality.
It provided the following tips and resources to help local businesses begin to reopen safely:
Outdoor Patios
As part of Stage 2, the Town is making it easier for local businesses to expand or open outdoor patios by waiving application fees and developing an expedited approval and permitting process. The process applies to patios on both public and private property. The goal: to support local businesses in their safe reopening and provide residents with opportunities to enjoy local establishments, while maintaining physical distancing. For more information, businesses can contact clerks@whitby.ca.
Whitby Business Reopening Kit
The town has developed a kit to support local independent businesses in their safe reopening. The kit includes a business hours window decal, floor decals and posters to support physical distancing. The kit also includes ProtectENOL sanitizer made by Brock Street Brewery. Local independent businesses can email ecdev@whitby.ca to request a kit.
Safety Guidelines for Reopening
The town has created a consolidated webpage – whitby.ca/businessresources – for businesses to visit and learn more about how to safely reopen.
In addition, there are a number of guides to help businesses safely reopen, including a new general workplace guide released by the Ontario government on Tuesday, June 16. The new, downloadable toolkit will help employers and workers better understand how to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Businesses can develop their own Covid-19 workplace safety plan.
What’s Open Whitby
To date more than 200 local businesses have added their information to the Town’s What’s Open Whitby online mapping portal. The portal was developed by the Town of Whitby in partnership with the Whitby Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Whitby Business Improvement Area (BIA). Through whitby.ca/whatsopen, a user can quickly search for a local business by category or address to find a variety of options available to them. They can also find out which businesses have outdoor patios available.
“Local businesses are the foundation of our economic prosperity and we are doing everything we can to support their safe re-opening. As we enter Stage 2 and the summer months, residents will want to enjoy themselves on an outdoor patio. We are working to support local business by providing these spaces,” said Mayor Don Mitchell.
Clarington unveils plan for a cautious reopening
Clarington has prepared a list of services and amenities showing what is opening, including splash pads and summer camps.
Below is a list that outlines what is open and closed. Details and guidelines for rules of use will be released in the next few weeks on Clarington’s dedicated Covid-19 update page, www.clarington.net/COVID-19.
- Splash Pads – most will open on June 19; some will be active on June 20, except for the Orono splash pad, which is closed for park construction.
- Modified Summer Camps will start on July 20. Camps will be located at four facilities: South Courtice Arena, Courtice Community Complex, Bowmanville Indoor Soccer, Diane Hamre Recreation Complex. They will have limited capacity and include eight children and two camp counsellors. Registration information and safety protocols will be released next week.
- Swimming pools will not reopen at this time. We are waiting for guidelines from the Ministry of Health as the current rules in place are not clear on how to implement protective COVID-19 measures in the pool.
- Indoor facility permits will be cancelled up until Labour Day as our facilities remain under a Provincial closure order. Outdoor field permits will also not be issued at this time. Fields are open for residents to use following all Provincial orders, especially physical distancing. Limited team training is allowed, including small-scale drills based on physical distancing. Team practice and scrimmages are not permitted.
- Town Hall will reopen to the public on July 13. Details on how to access services will be released next week.
- Other buildings will slowly follow reopening protocols as Clarington begins to welcome residents.
“Believe me, we want to welcome our residents and open up all of our facilities. They are the heart of our community. Ultimately, this is about public confidence; we are working diligently to reopen with all safety protocols in place to protect both staff and residents. We continue to proceed with caution as we face an unprecedented situation and a pandemic that has changed the face of society as we know it. Reopening may take a little time. Please be patient. We don’t want to erase the progress we have made to stem the spread of Covid-19,” said Mayor Foster.
The municipality will continue to issue daily updates at 4 p.m. on our website, www.clarington.net/COVID-19. All the latest information on reopening and safety protocols will be posted and shared on social media.
Splash Pads will open in Scugog on June 19
The township has made the decision for the splash pad to be opened on Friday, June 19th. The timing of the opening aligns with the expected heat emergency event from Friday to Sunday. Signage will be erected at the splash pad reminding users to use hand sanitizer and that use of the splash pad is limited to a maximum occupancy of 10 people. As per the provincial orders, the playground structure remains closed at this time.
Staff will be placing barricades at the adjacent playground on the south side of the area to discourage children from using the equipment.
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