The City of Burlington continues to take appropriate action to prioritize the health and well-being of our community and staff. Our overriding goal is to keep the public and staff safe and help minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
With the closure of City facilities, telephone access to Service Burlington is currently unavailable for any additional City questions you may have. Please send your community questions and requests to Service Burlington by email at city@burlington.ca
Halton Region Public Health is focusing on those most at risk of COVID-19. The Region’s current priority is to hear from high-risk groups only:
- health care providers seeking or reporting information;
- those living or working in a healthcare setting or institution and experiencing symptoms of COVID-19; or
- those who have been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
Not everyone requires testing. Most people with mild symptoms will recover on their own at home. Get rest, drink fluids, eat well and stay home. You do not need to contact Public Health. If you are high risk, please call 311 to start the assessment process. Residents must have an appointment to attend an Assessment Centre.
If you have SEVERE symptoms, please call 9-1-1 immediately.
For further COVID-19 information, please visit Halton Region Public Health at halton.ca/COVID19.
For the latest actions taken by the City of Burlington please visit and subscribe to our News and Notices or see an overview list below.
Latest City of Burlington Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates
| April 2 - Update: Resident Questions and Answers, Transcript and Audio recording from Mar. 26 Telephone Town Hall On COVID-19 Response and Support |
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View our new dedicated COVID-19 Telephone townhall webpage for Mar. 26 Questions Asked During Resident Town Hall and to stay updated on future COVID-19 telephone townhalls.
View COVID-19 Telephone Townhall webpage...
On Mar. 26, 2020 the City of Burlington hosted a telephone town hall open to all members of the public to provide an opportunity to hear from a panel of leaders including members of council and senior staff, Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and our City Manager, Tim Commisso. Also on the panel were:
Below you can hear an audio recording of the telephone townhall and read a transcript. Questions submitted during the telephone town hall that were not answered during the call will also be posted shortly.
Read the Mar. 26 Telephone Townhall transcript...
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| April 1 - Now more than ever we need to support small businesses in Burlington |
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The need has never been greater as our local economy continues to be dramatically weighed down by the daily impacts of COVID-19. Some small businesses have made the decision to close completely, others are working in reduced capacity. In times of unprecedented hardship our small businesses and independents often experience the brunt of this crisis. Your assistance is needed. Small businesses are an essential part of our community. They are risk-takers by nature; many are family owned and many are residents of the community where their business is located. They are the entrepreneurs that hire our children, sponsor our teams, donate for our events – they are our neighbours. Team Burlington, which is a collective of the combined talents of The Burlington Chamber of Commerce, Burlington Economic Development, Burlington Downtown Business Association, Aldershot Village BIA and Tourism Burlington, encourages residents to support small businesses online from the safety of their home. They have made seven suggestions:
Brian Dean, Executive Director of the Burlington Downtown Business Association emphasizes “Shopping locally during this challenging time for Burlington business is more than a good idea, it is a necessity to help keep these small businesses flourishing”. The days, weeks and months ahead are uncertain. These are your neighbours. This is your community. Small businesses need your support, now, more than ever. We’re all in this together. |
| April 1 - City Decision-Making through COVID-19 Emergency |
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Earlier this week the City of Burlington announced that we would extend the closures of City Hall, administration facilities, recreation facilities and parks through the end of June. While decisions like this continue to be made on a daily basis in response to the ever-changing situation with COVID-19, the way the City makes these decisions looks different than it has in the past. The City wants to ensure the people of Burlington have a full understanding of what is happening behind the scenes during this emergency, and that we provide transparency about how issues are raised, and decisions are made during this challenging time. City Council continues to be responsible for overall governance of the City and strategic decisions. Emergency-related and time-sensitive decisions that are being made on a daily, and sometimes hourly basis and relate primarily to operational issues are being managed by the city’s Emergency Control Group. From a Municipal governance perspective, City Council is ultimately responsible for the review and approval of the City’s overall emergency planning and management. Section 2.1 of the Provincial Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) requires municipalities to develop and implement an emergency management program and adopt it through a by-law. On July 15th of 2019, City Council approved by-law 46-2019 which provides for our Emergency and Continuity Management Program. The City moved to a Level 3 – Full Emergency Activation, our highest level, on March 17th. This Emergency Level means we are in a high level of crisis and in a mission-critical stage. In order to support and protect our first responders, field and administrative staff and our community while continuing to provide critical and essential services, a Level 3 emergency enables a body of decision-makers known as the Emergency Control Group (ECG) under our Corporate Emergency Response Plan (Appendix B to the by-law). This group is vested with decision-making responsibility related to time-sensitive and immediate actions to address the emergency at hand, including operations and crisis communications.
The goal of the ECG is:
The Corporate Emergency Response Plan designates the following positions as members of the ECG (also known as the command staff and section chiefs):
There are numerous support members of this team that assist with the day-to-day strategic planning involved, implementation of action items, and tracking of ongoing resource needs. The ECG meets every afternoon, including weekends, via conference call. Meeting attendance is tracked, and minutes are kept and saved. A daily Incident Action Plan is compiled, approved by the group and sent through to the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management. Each morning, including weekends, each department director first meets with their management team in order to identify the following based on ongoing situational awareness:
During the ECG meeting each afternoon, the CEMC opens with a Review of Operational Cycle Information, followed by a high-level overview of current issues and communications plans by the City Manager and the Mayor, and a roundtable discussion with input from all other members. Time-sensitive decisions are made by the group and actionable items are assigned to appropriate owners. Examples of some of the emergency-related decisions that are being made by this group include the closure of parks and recreation facilities, adjustments to transit schedules and services, and enacting safety measures to keep employees and the public safe through limiting access to City Hall and other administrative buildings. The ECG will continue to function as long as the City is at a Level 3 – Full Emergency Activation. City Council continues to function throughout this emergency: Council is functioning through a new format we began on March 24th to help us maintain the physical distancing our health experts have mandated for the public. We are conducting only essential and time sensitive business for the time being. During council and committee meetings, we are taking extra precautions to protect staff, the public and council, while doing our best to ensure transparency and accountability to the public. No public are allowed in Chambers as we have closed all City facilities including City Hall, effective Monday, March 16 through to the end of June; however, staff are looking into ways of extending the technology to allow for remote public participation. Members of the public will still be able to submit written delegations to the clerk, and any councillor who has questions can follow up directly. There will be minimal people in chambers at City Hall, such as the Mayor or Committee Chair, the clerk and our technician, ensuring we keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet apart and that all surfaces are cleaned before and after the meeting. It is important for a few people to be present in person to ensure remote public viewing of this meeting by live webcasting and recording the meeting. At this time, it is our best way to maintain a public facing component. As these are unprecedented times, we are doing our best to navigate and would ask for your patience and understanding. This is how our meetings will be conducted for the foreseeable future, but we may need to make further changes as the situation evolves. Council also continues to provide ongoing support to constituents in their wards via telephone and email every day. They are working hard to identify and solve urgent issues for individuals and businesses, direct people to the numerous resources being announced at a rapid pace by the Federal and Provincial governments, communicate important updates and distribute helpful information through digital newsletters, social media, and print material. They are provided with daily updates from the Mayor on key communications and decisions being made by the ECG, and have the opportunity to ask the Mayor to filter issues up to the ECG in daily meetings. There is a great deal of collaboration happening at all levels in the City of Burlington, as well as with representatives in regional, provincial and federal government, and through our partners at organizations such as Burlington Economic Development, the Chamber of Commerce, local Business Improvement Area groups, Joseph Brant Hospital, Burlington Hydro and beyond. Everyone is working together, day and night, 7 days a week to ensure we keep you informed, safe, and healthy. As always, please stay informed with the latest local news and information on our dedicated city webpage: Burlington.ca/coronavirus, and visit the regional, provincial, and federal sites for even more. |
| March 31 - Statement from the Mayor, City working closely with Hospital to be prepared and Mayor expresses gratitude for all front-line workers |
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Yesterday Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington announced that as part of their pandemic response plan, they will be building a temporary Pandemic Response Unit to expand the hospital’s capacity in preparation for the anticipated surge of COVID-19 patients. As they indicated in their release yesterday, this modular structure will be built on the hospital grounds and connect to the existing South Tower, providing an additional 93 beds for patients who require hospitalization and treatment for COVID-19. The City of Burlington is working very closely to expedite building permits to make this happen, and I thank staff for working so swiftly. I applaud Joseph Brant for choosing to build this structure and take a proactive approach that ensures they can meet the demand we are likely to see in the coming weeks. This addition is a valuable part of the many steps they are taking to enable their dedicated staff to care for our community through this unprecedented challenge. I am in touch daily with Joseph Brant Hospital CEO and President, Eric Vandewall, to coordinate our emergency response efforts and be prepared for every eventuality. His leadership and decisive action has been an essential part of our city’s ability to deal with COVID-19. His participation in our public telephone town hall last week, along with colleague Dr. Dale Kalina, Medical Director of Infection, Prevention and Control, provided valuable health information to thousands of local residents on the line. I want to thank all our healthcare and front-line professionals for their remarkable work in this crisis, from doctors and nurses to janitorial and operational staff at our hospitals and doctors’ offices, to bus drivers and grocery store workers and the entire logistics chain that manufactures, delivers and sells the essential food and supplies we all depend on. I know they are working long hours, spending time away from their families and loved ones, and faced with new challenges and difficult decisions like never before. Our entire city owes them a debt of gratitude for their skills and service. They come to work every day for us, and they are the reason the rest of us need to stay home and help stop the spread of COVID-19. This Friday, April 3rd, please join me in showing your appreciation for all these heroes through the Front-Line Clap at 7pm. Stand on your front porch, front step, or balcony to clap for 2 minutes so they can hear our gratitude. STAY home, STOP the spread, SAVE lives.
Sincerely, Mayor Marianne Meed Ward City of Burlington |
| March 31 - Burlington’s business support organizations come together as Team Burlington to support businesses through COVID-19 |
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The Burlington Chamber of Commerce, Burlington Economic Development, Burlington Downtown Business Association, Aldershot Village BIA, and Tourism Burlington have joined forces to offer support and help Burlington’s Business community navigate the economic impacts of COVID-19. While the Team Burlington name is not new, COVID-19 has renewed the group’s collaborative mission to keep the business community informed and ensure relevant and timely information is distributed as soon as it becomes available. “Right now, it’s about pooling resources for the collective benefit of the business community,” explained Anita Cassidy, Executive Director of Burlington Economic Development. “That means daily scrum meetings, sharing information, engaging subject matter experts and government officials, and asking the tough questions to ensure we know what businesses need now, and what they’ll need in the future to come out strong on the other side.” The first thing Team Burlington did to support businesses during COVID-19 was launch a one-stop-shop resource for businesses to turn to for information, resources and tools. With so much information rolling out every day, the website, which is hosted on burlingtonchamber.com, aims to provide the latest government updates, toolkits, support programs, economic relief information and resources all in place. Carla Nell, President and CEO of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce also spoke to the power of working together. “Our membership already trusts that we’ll take a strong stance to advocate for their interests. Through this team approach, we’ll be able to do even more and extend our reach further to ensure all businesses of all sizes and industries feel supported and heard during these difficult times, and to position them for recovery in the longer term.” Team Burlington is planning a series of COVID-19 virtual business support forums to give business leaders the opportunity to ask questions and hear from subject matter experts and key government officials at the local and regional levels, as well as Provincial and Federal. One will also be dedicated to small business support. The first forum, dedicated to local and regional support, will take place on April 2 at 10am. More details and registration information are available at burlingtonchamber.com. The global COVID-19 pandemic is putting substantial pressure on the Burlington business community. Mandatory closures, necessary social distancing measures, layoffs and supply chain disruptions are putting immense pressure on businesses of all sizes. However, it is Team Burlington’s hope that through communication, advocacy, and the right relief measures, Burlington’s business community will remain steadfast in its short-term and long-term recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. |
| March 30 - City Cancels Spring Programs and Extends Closures |
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Due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19, the City of Burlington has decided to suspend all City-run spring programs and extend the closure of all recreation facilities, parks, playgrounds, sports fields and City administration facilities to the end of June. During this time, all bookings will be cancelled, and credits will be placed on accounts. Refunds will be issued based on requests. Organizations and residents are asked to please be patient during this time as we process these cancellations. Questions related to rentals can be sent to rentals@burlington.ca. For registrations, email liveandplay@burlington.ca. This decision, made by the City’s Emergency Control Group, follows the guidance of the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada and the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health to prepare and plan for the months ahead. The City of Burlington regularly plans in quarters, including Council’s 4-year strategic workplan, Vision to Focus. We need to make decisions now that affect programming weeks and months out, to provide some certainty to our community and to our many community partners. We are asking everyone to remember they have a role to play in slowing the spread of COVID-19:
During this extended closure we will continue to maintain our essential services and those services that provide direct support to keep our residents and staff safe. These include areas such as Burlington Fire, Burlington Transit including Handi-Van, Traffic Services, ByLaw Enforcement, Roads, Parks and Forestry Operations, Building Inspections and ServiceBurlington. With this announcement we want to assure residents that the business of the City will continue during this critical time. Our staff that are able, are continuing to work from home to maintain City services such as Community Planning, City Capital Works and various Corporate Services. During this unprecedented time, we are continually looking at ways for us to work more efficiently and to use taxpayer dollars wisely. We have already put in place spending restraints on all non-essential purchases during this time and will look to utilize our staff where we can instead of outsourcing. The majority of the City’s expenditures is paying our hard-working employees and we must continue to ensure we have the staff needed to get us through these challenging times. This means we will maintain our full-time staff workforce. They will continue to work remotely during this period or be redeployed where possible into essential service areas. We are also aware of other organizations that may need assistance, like the Region of Halton, where we may be able to redeploy staff. For our part-time staff, we will look at various options including evaluating government assistance programs being offered by the provincial and federal governments. Once we have looked at options for our staff, as a last resort we will also consider layoffs as required. We also know we’re not going to be back to 100 per cent on Day 1 after this pandemic has ended. We have to set the expectations for ourselves as a City and the public that it won’t be business as usual the first day we’re back from this. However, having plans in place for the next three months means we’ll be able to get back on our feet, operating at 100 per cent again that much sooner. This situation is evolving every hour and we are continually monitoring. The City of Burlington will continue to keep you informed. |
| March 27 - Update on OP timelines and processing of development applications as a result of COVID-19 |
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In these unprecedented times, it has been necessary for the City to make changes to various timelines and processes related to Planning and Building and By-law matters. To that end, the public meeting scheduled for April 14 on the official downtown policies has been pushed to fall to better enable the public and all stakeholders an opportunity to provide full feedback to staff and Council as decision makers, in a public and accountable forum. The City is currently processing development applications and building permit applications received by March 13. The Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) has suspended all LPAT hearings until the end of June. As a result of COVID-19, processes for building inspections have been modified accordingly to keep both staff and the public safe. Official Plan Update Over the past few months, the Official Plan project team with help from planning firm, SGL Planning and Design, have been working on developing detailed policies. The endorsed land use vision and built form concept for the Downtown was largely endorsed by Council this past January. The detailed policies were going to be available for public review during the week of March 23 and presented to Council in April 2020 as recommended modifications to the policies of the Adopted Official Plan. However, these timelines have been delayed to protect the public and City staff and to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 virus, the City has closed facilities, including City Hall. These closures and workplace changes have had an impact on the project timeline. As a result, the public release of the detailed policies and associated reports will be delayed. The detailed policies will now be released at the end of April and the Public Meeting will be scheduled for the fall. The City recognizes the work of the Scoped Re-examination of the Adopted Official Plan is vitally important to continue to move forward. The City remains committed to ensuring the public has the full ability to comment on the detailed policies and for this reason, the associated timelines have been changed. Planning Applications
The Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) has suspended all LPAT hearings scheduled to take place between March 16th until the end of June. The cancelled hearings will be rescheduled at a later date. Currently, hearings July onward will proceed on their scheduled date. Burlington applications affected include:
There were no Burlington hearings scheduled for June. Building Permits and Inspections
Signage in Commercial Districts
Business License Renewal
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| March 26 - Statement from the Mayor, Mayor asks all residents to Walk, Don’t Stop |
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Everyone has a role to play in keeping our community healthy and safe. We must each do our part. I still get reports each day of people congregating in parks, playing pick-up games of basketball, using our sports fields and skate parks, bunching together to smoke outside, or letting their children use playground equipment that is not disinfected. The virus can live for days on surfaces and is highly contagious from one person to another. It is not an option to hang out in parks or spend time with people outside of those in your own household. If you need some fresh air and activity, it’s okay to walk, cycle or jog through our parks, but please do not linger. Stay 2 metres (6 feet) away from anyone else in the park or on a trail. Watch my quick video on why it’s important to #walkdontstop And please take your garbage out with you. Residents are putting a lot of garbage into the parks’ bins and we do not have the resources to keep up. Please, whatever you carry in, carry out and take home to dispose of including pet waste. We need everyone’s cooperation. We’ve already closed playgrounds and sports fields, and Lowville Park, but people continue to break the rules. Don’t make us take further action like blocking parking lots into parks. We expect to be in an emergency situation for at least the next three months. This will be longer if we don’t all do our part, and more people will get sick. I am urging everyone to please follow the advice we have repeatedly given and do your part. #walkdontstop #stayhome #stopthespread and #savelives. These are serious times requiring serious action from all levels of government. Yesterday the Federal Government mandated that all returning travelers must self-isolate for a period of 14 days to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Those who fail to comply will face steep penalties including fines of up to $750,000 and jail time up to six months. Further, a person who causes a risk of imminent death or serious bodily harm to another person while willfully or recklessly contravening this Act or the regulations could be liable for a fine of up to $1,000,000 or to imprisonment of up to three years, or to both. Spot checks will be conducted by the Government of Canada to verify compliance. I expect residents of Burlington to fully comply with this directive as well and put the health and well-being of their families, neighbours, and our healthcare system first. If you’re home tonight, please use your phone at 6:45 p.m. and join us for the City of Burlington’s Public Telephone Town Hall. Cogeco’s YourTV will also be live-streaming the call. Join myself, MP Karina Gould, MPP Jane McKenna, representatives from Joseph Brant Hospital and the Halton Regional Police Service, along with our City Manager and councillors where we will answer call-in questions and help spread information and awareness of how to get or give help, support our community, and flatten the curve. There is also help available. I applaud the news coming out of both the Federal and Provincial levels of Government yesterday about financial supports for those whose livelihoods have been impacted by this ongoing situation. The Government of Canada announced a new benefit yesterday, called the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), to help those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. This new plan combines the two benefits the government announced last week: The Emergency Care Benefit and the Emergency Support Benefit. The single benefit is designed to make it easier for people to apply and receive money, including contract workers and the self-employed. Also yesterday, Ontario’s Minister of Finance, Rod Phillips, released Ontario’s Action Plan: Responding to COVID-19 (March 2020 Economic and Fiscal Update) including the announcement of $7 billion in additional resources for the health care system and direct support for people and jobs. It will also make available $10 billion in support for people and businesses through tax and other deferrals. As part of the above, the Province has deferred the education portion of our city’s tax payment to the Province and Halton Region has also deferred our regional portion, leaving us in a better position at the City of Burlington to defer property tax payments for our residents and businesses. We will be voting at our next council meeting to waive late fees and penalties for the upcoming April 21st property tax installment and consider deferring the due date past the end of May and possibly longer. Our top priority at the City of Burlington remains the health and well-being of our residents. We are committed to keeping you informed in clear and timely manner and encourage you to stay updated via the City’s dedicated website burlinton.ca/coronavirus or my dedicated webpage. Additional information on all COVID-19 related matters can be found at the Halton Region website, the Ministry of Health of Ontario’s website, and the Federal Government’s website.
STAY home, STOP the spread, SAVE lives. Sincerely, |
| March 25 - City successfully holds virtual special Council meeting and announces a modified schedule for Burlington Transit starting Sunday, March 29 |
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Burlington, Ont.—March 25, 2020 — In a continued effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, while working to provide essential services to the community, the City of Burlington held the first of two virtual special City Council meetings yesterday. The meeting was used to discuss essential, time-sensitive business, including an amendment to a procedural bylaw that will allow virtual participation and remote voting at electronic City Council meetings, a remuneration report and Burlington Hydro’s operating line of credit. Due to COVID-19 and public health concerns, no members of the public were permitted at the meeting and all Council members participated remotely, with the exception of Mayor Meed Ward who was in Council Chambers along with the Clerk/designate and an information technology technician. Members of the public can view virtual Council meetings remotely using the City’s existing web streaming tool at www.burlington.ca/calendar. While no delegations are currently permitted, written comments may be submitted to the City Clerk by email at clerks@burlington.ca. Received written submissions will form part of the public record and will be distributed to members of Burlington City Council. The virtual meetings will be used for any Council or committee meetings scheduled in April. The regularly scheduled Council meeting for March 30, 2020 is cancelled.
The temporary changes being proposed would mean that for the months of April and May 2020, with additional extensions being considered on a monthly basis:
Taxpayers who sent a postdated cheque to the City for their April tax installment and can no longer make payment are asked to put a stop payment on the cheque at their bank. We encourage taxpayers to make payments where possible during these unique times. Tax inquiries can be sent by email to propertytax@burlington.ca or by phone to 905-335-7750.
The Province has launched a toll-free, Stop the Spread, information line at 1-888-444-3659 to provide support to Ontario businesses who have questions about the Province's recent emergency order. Help is available from Monday to Sunday, from 8:30 a.m.?5 p.m. A complete list of essential services is also available on the Government of Ontario's website. With the modified schedule, Burlington Transit will operate Monday to Saturday, from 5:50 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. and on Sundays from 6:14 a.m. to 9:55 p.m. A complete schedule is available at www.burlingtontransit.ca/schedules and Burlington Transit customer service can be reached at contactbt@burlington.ca, 905-639-0550 or on Twitter @BurlONTransit. A reminder that:
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| March 24 - Statement from the Mayor, Halton Region Declares State of Emergency |
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Today, Halton Region announced their decision to proceed with the Declaration of an Emergency for Halton Region. The Region has already activated the Halton Region Emergency Response Plan and the Health Department’s Infectious Disease Emergency Response Plan and has been responding to the COVID-19 situation for many weeks. I applaud this decision and the message it sends to our community about the urgent need to respond to the COVID-19 situation and follow the advice of our leaders and healthcare experts. The City of Oakville has also made their own declaration today, adding to the growing list of cities in the GTA and across Canada who are doing so In Burlington, we have still seen groups of people congregating in public places, visiting the homes of others, and engaged in unnecessary activities with other people. We are hearing of people returning from out of country trips and going straight to work or to run errands, and not self-isolating as required for 14 days. I cannot stress this enough: it needs to stop. Our health and well-being depends on it, as does the health and wellbeing of our healthcare workers and first responders and their ability to take care of us should we need it. As our Prime Minister said earlier today, if we do not see improved behaviour across the country, additional measures will need to be put in place to ensure compliance. Yesterday’s announcement of the closure of additional non-essential businesses by the Province was a further step in limiting public contact and flattening the curve of COVID-19. The list is now available on their website along with a 1-800 number (coming soon) for businesses to call with related questions. The list of what is considered essential is far more extensive than I expected, leaving far too many businesses open, particularly public-facing businesses. If you can close, please do. If you can deploy your operations so staff can work at home, please do. If staff have to come to the office, maintain 6-ft physical distance and follow the frequent and thorough cleaning and handwashing advice we have heard from healthcare experts to keep everyone safe. I and other Mayors I have spoken to today are considering taking additional steps to better protect our community and encourage more businesses to close voluntarily to better protect themselves, their employees and the public. We have many amazing business owners in Burlington who have already voluntarily made the decision to close their doors for the time being out of consideration for the health and wellness of their employees and customers. I am grateful for their willingness to do so. While only the Province’s list of business closures is enforceable by police, I continue to encourage Burlington’s businesses to use common sense and good judgement and consider if they can close for the near future without impacting access to truly essential products and services for our community. The City of Burlington continues to provide essential services as we announced last week and there is no change to that directive. With the closure of City facilities, telephone access to Service Burlington is currently unavailable. Please send your community questions and requests to Service Burlington by email at city@burlington.ca or visit www.burlington.ca/coronavirus. We are very pleased to hear today that the Province of Ontario has made the decision to provide immediate electricity rate relief for families, farmers and small businesses paying time-of-use rates amid this crisis. This reduction will help offset higher consumption as more people stay home, and further alleviate some of the financial challenges many people are facing right now. Earlier today after a telephone meeting of the Large Urban Mayors Caucus of Ontario, my fellow Mayors sent a letter to the Prime Minister and Premier of Ontario thanking them for their leadership through this difficult time and encouraging them to take additional measures to limit movement and enable people to stay home. We requested the Federal Government step up their fiscal response to support provinces and leverage fiscal tools that no other level of government in Canada has. We also called on the Government of Ontario to map out a clear strategy to support municipalities, whose finances are being severely impacted by this unprecedented crisis. I want to remind our community that we are hosting a public telephone town hall Thursday evening at 6:45pm, and I am grateful to have MP Karina Gould and MPP Jane McKenna joining us, along with Deputy Chief Roger Wilkie and Superintendent Anthony Odoardi of the Halton Region Police Service, members of your city council and the city’s leadership team. More details can be found on our website burlinton.ca/coronavirus. Our top priority at the City of Burlington remains the health and well-being of our residents. We are committed to keeping you informed in clear and timely manner and encourage you to stay updated via the City’s dedicated website burlinton.ca/coronavirus. Additional information on all COVID-19 related matters can be found at the Halton Region website, the Ministry of Health of Ontario’s website, and the Federal Government’s website.
Stay healthy, stay home, and be kind to one another.
Sincerely, Mayor Marianne Meed Ward City of Burlington |
| March 23 - Mayor applauds provincial closure of non-essential businesses, announces special council meeting and community town hall updates |
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Burlington, Ont.—March 23, 2020 — The City of Burlington’s Mayor and Council are applauding the announcement today by the Province of Ontario. The Ontario Government will order the mandatory closure of all non-essential workplaces effective as of Tuesday, March 24 at 11:59 p.m. This closure will be in effect for 14 days with the possibility of extending this order as the situation evolves. A full list of businesses that are permitted to stay open will be released by the province tomorrow. The Province also announced much needed funding for municipalities, which allows municipalities to provide direct support to homeless shelters, food banks and the local Red Cross. The City of Burlington is announcing two special virtual City Council meetings on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. This meeting will be used to discuss time-sensitive matters. All other items will be deferred to a later date. To protect the public and City staff and to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 virus, a reminder that City Hall continues to be closed to the public until Monday, April 6. Tuesday, Mar. 24 City Council Meeting - How to participate City Council Meeting Agenda
Second Special Meeting
As a result of this virtual City Council meeting, the regularly scheduled Council meeting for March 30, 2020 is cancelled. Panelist update for Upcoming Telephone Town Hall
Any further updates to panelists for the March 26 Telephone Town Hall will be shared with the public. Thursday, Mar. 26 Telephone Town Hall - How to Participate Anyone who does not receive a telephone invitation can call 1-800-280-9610 at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 26 to join the town hall. For those individuals calling in to the town hall, please be advised that more than one attempt may be required to connect to the call due to the high volume of traffic on the phone lines. If your call does not connect you to the town hall on your first try, please hang up and dial the 1-800 number again. Information about the town hall will also be shared with residents through the City and Mayor’s website and social media channels as well as the Burlington Post. We ask our residents to share this information with their friends and neighbours so that anyone who is interested may participate. Once the call begins, participants will be provided instructions by a moderator for submitting their questions to the leadership panel. Any questions that are not answered within the hour-long call will be posted, with answers, to the City’s website at burlington.ca/coronavirus, along with an audio file of the call and a full transcript as soon as possible. |
| March 22 - Mayor Marianne Meed Ward announces closure of Lowville Park and State of Emergency FAQs |
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Burlington, Ont. - March 22, 2020 — Yesterday I declared a State of Emergency for the City of Burlington. I have received an overwhelmingly positive reaction from our community, along with many valid questions and concerns about what this means for our day to day living, businesses, and parks. I am glad to see this declaration has caused people to more deeply consider their decisions and actions. That was the intended outcome and I know it will help our city through this crisis. Today, the City of Burlington has made the decision to close Lowville Park to the public, effective Monday, March 23. This is part of the City’s continuing efforts to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus by following the advice of our public health officials to increase social distancing. Lowville Park has been very busy with visitors using the closed playground and picnic areas. Although many of our visitors have respected social distancing, there are reported concerns with crowding in some areas, parking lot capacity and people entering areas that are marked as closed. The Province prohibited gatherings of 50 people or more when they declared a provincial State of Emergency last week. As a result of similar concerns, Conservation Halton has already closed all their parks to the public. Considering these challenges, Lowville Park will remain closed indefinitely as of Monday. Any vehicles parked in the Lowville Park lot will be towed. We are considering additional park closures on a daily basis. While we want our residents to get outside and stay active, we have to make tough decisions when we do not see the social distancing behaviours our public health officials are recommending. I know there are many additional questions out there, and to help you better understand what a State of Emergency means to the people of Burlington, to our local businesses, and to our essential services, I have put together the following FAQ. STATE OF EMERGENCY FAQs: Why did you declare a State of Emergency? With the support of Council, senior City staff, our Emergency Control Group, and senior staff at Joseph Brant Hospital, this declaration helps send a message to our community that times are serious and people's lives are on the line. It aligns us with the Province of Ontario's declaration earlier last week, and we are seeing many communities across North America do the same to ensure people understand the serious nature of what is going on, to support self-isolation and social distancing, and help to focus our city on essential services and activities. Can I still go for a walk with my family? Yes, you can still go for a walk or bike ride and get outside to stay active and get some fresh air, as long as you are doing so with the people from within your own household. As far as other family, friends and neighbours go: no play-dates, no baseball games, no dinner parties or poker nights even with close friends, and no pick-up games of hockey in the street. If you encounter others while out for a walk, employ social distancing techniques and maintain at least a 6-ft distance from everyone except those in your own household and/or immediate family. These steps are critical in minimizing the spread of COVID-19, especially by those with mild or minimal symptoms. Ensure children stay off public playground equipment as it is not disinfected, and we know this virus can live on surfaces for up to 2 days. If you are sick or have been advised to self-isolate due to recent travel, stay home until you are fully recovered or have passed the 14-day self-isolation period with no symptoms. What is an essential service or business? An essential service is defined in Federal terms as any service, facility or activity of the Government of Canada that is or will be necessary for the safety or security of the public or a segment of the public. Examples of government services or activities that may be considered essential include but are not limited to: border safety/security, correctional services, food inspection activities, accident safety investigations, income and social security, marine safety, national security, law enforcement, and search and rescue. The Province of Ontario's defined Critical Infrastructure Sectors include food and water, electrical power, gas and oil, financial services, our healthcare system, and transportation networks. At City Hall, we already closed facilities last week and asked staff to work from home with the exception of services that need to be delivered under one of the following categories:
It's common sense. We need law and order, we need emergency services, we need groceries and home maintenance items, we need banks and telecommunication services, we need gas, and we need a supply chain of those products including trucks and drivers to deliver them. Our hospitals and emergency workers need equipment and supplies. We need continuity of government, and we need public safety and security. It's not as easy as coming up with one definitive list, but we need to use good judgement and give our decisions a second thought. I still see businesses open that I don't think are essential - what should I do? As part of the Orders issued by the Provincial Government on Wednesday, March 17th, 2020, relating to the enforcement the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMPCA), the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) are initiating a planned response to ensure community safety and well-being. Should police receive concerns relating to complaints of violations of any of the aforementioned orders, they will consider a progressive response of dialogue, education, warning, and enforcement (if required). The HRPS will work with the Region’s health department to assist them in conducting their investigations as well. See the attached link for businesses on the list of the Province’s mandated closures. As part of Burlington's State of Emergency, and in addition to the Province's list of mandated closures, I have encouraged all local businesses to voluntarily close except those that deliver essential goods and services. Neither myself nor the City of Burlington has the power to force a business to close. All I can do is ask. Please keep in mind that it may not be obvious to the general public what each business does - they could provide rental equipment for essential city services or supplies for our local hospital, for example. They may have a skeleton staff on-site and be able to maintain social distancing inside their building. Let's trust people to make the right decisions and remember to be sympathetic of the significant financial impact it will have on them and their employees to close as we encourage them to prioritize the health and well-being of our community at this time. What about take-out and drive-thru restaurants? Are they still safe? We know food is an essential. Whether you are picking up food from the grocery store or a take-out restaurant is not significantly different. As I mentioned before, the virus can live on surfaces for 2 days. The same can be said for picking up essentials from our local food banks, or accepting at-home deliveries from grocers, Wal-Mart or Amazon. We are relying on both types of business to exercise precautions in their food handling and staff hygiene, and to ensure sick employees and customers stay home. The most important thing is to use good judgement, employ social distancing, wash your hands, and stay home if you're sick. I saw my neighbour at the grocery store and he just returned from a trip? Is that allowed? As part of the State of Emergency, I have asked all our residents to stay home unless they are going to work, to a medical or other essential appointment, or to get essential supplies. Further, the Federal Government has mandated that all individuals who are returning from travel outside of Canada self-isolate for a period of 14-days and self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19. That means that recent travelers have additional restrictions and should not be going to work, the grocery store, or other appointments. They must rely on delivery services or ask healthy friends and neighbours to drop off supplies for them. We can help them by offering our support so that they don’t feel the need to go out. If you are concerned that someone who should be self-isolating is not following those guidelines, or that someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 is not self-quarantined, you can reach out to our local police at 905-825-4777. As I mentioned above, should police receive concerns relating to complaints of violations, they will consider a progressive response of dialogue, education, warning, and enforcement (if required). Please remember that this shouldn't be a time to shame others or try to catch people doing something wrong. Before reaching out to police, think about alternative ways to support good behaviour. This is a time to constructively spread awareness and offer help to others so that people don't need to put our community at risk. How long is this going to last? Honestly, I don't know. From what we have seen in other countries, it could be weeks and it could be even longer. The most important thing we can do to help slow the spread of this virus and mitigate the impact it has on our community and our healthcare system is stay home. It only stands to reason that the more we do right now, the better off we will be later. What else is important to know right now? The most important thing I want everyone to know right now is to be thoughtful, responsible, and kind. Follow the advice of healthcare experts and local leaders. Avoid the temptation to blame others and treat people the way you would like to be treated. We are all in this together. This past year I had the pleasure of meeting some of our local WWII veterans as part of the 75th anniversary of D-Day at Juno Beach in France. I heard their stories of sacrifice and understood the bravery and courage it took to fight for our freedoms and safety. It gives me perspective in these challenging times. We are not being asked to leave our families and go overseas to storm a beach. We are being asked to be responsible, to stay home, and be patient. I think it's the least we can do for each other and our country. Our top priority remains the health and well-being of our residents. We are committed to keeping you informed in clear and timely manner and encourage you to stay updated via the City’s dedicated website. Additional information on all COVID-19 related matters can be found at the Halton Region website, the Ministry of Health of Ontario’s website, and the Federal Government’s website. Stay healthy, stay calm, and be kind to one another. Sincerely,
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward City of Burlington |
| March 21 - Mayor Marianne Meed Ward has declared a State of Emergency for Burlington |
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Burlington, Ont. — March 21, 2020 — With the support of Council, senior City staff, our Emergency Control Group, and senior staff at Joseph Brant Hospital, I have decided it is time to declare a State of Emergency for Burlington. The next few days are critical in our ongoing efforts to slow down the spread of COVID-19 and I encourage our residents to continue taking every precaution in protecting yourselves. Some of you may be asking why now, what has changed over the past few days? While I thank our many residents who are heeding expert medical advice, we have noticed there is still some complacency in our community around the need to self-isolate, to engage in social distancing and to only go outside for essentials, such as food and medical needs or appointments. With the end of March break, many people are returning home over the next few days and may need to restock their shelves. I urge these residents to self-isolate in your homes for 14 days and ask family, friends or neighbours to safely drop off supplies for you. Earlier this week, there was the tragic death of a Milton man. On behalf of Council and the City of Burlington, our hearts go out to his family and we send them, and those who knew him, our deepest condolences. While it is still unknown exactly how he contracted COVID-19, our Halton Region Public Health Department has said there is evidence the virus is spreading through community contact. This increases the urgency around the need for social distancing and self-isolation. We need to keep each other safe and healthy and must do everything we can to “flatten the curve.” By declaring a State of Emergency, we want to send the strongest possible message to our community to stay home. Self-isolation means not visiting friends and family, not organizing playdates for your children or pick-up games in our parks and neighbourhoods, and not congregating on the street. I am also asking all local malls and non-essential businesses to close for the time being. Our healthcare workers are here to support you all. We need to stay home not only for ourselves and loved ones, but for our medical professionals so that they can continue to be healthy enough to care for the members of our community who do get sick. Declaring an emergency is a necessary step in the right direction to effectively slow down the spread of this pandemic throughout our city. I continue to appeal to our residents to resist the urge to hoard. Clearing out your local grocery store of all its frozen and canned foods, and essential supplies is neither necessary nor helpful to others. Take what you need and remember that restocking will happen. I ask anyone who owns or manages an essential service to please consider setting per-person limits on essential items and to ask customers to engage in social distancing while they are shopping in your stores. I know this has been a trying time for our community and we will likely continue facing these difficult times ahead, but we are all in this together and the only way we will get through this is together.
Sincerely, Mayor Marianne Meed Ward City of Burlington |
| March 20 - City Announces Upcoming Telephone Town Hall On COVID-19 Response and Support |
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Burlington, Ontario - March 20, 2020 - The City of Burlington is announcing a public telephone town hall that will take place on Thursday, March 26 at 6:45 p.m. We know there are a great deal of questions in our community related to health, finances, and supporting those in need. Important information is changing daily, and not everyone in our city has access to channels like television, the internet, and print media. This one-hour town hall will be open to all members of the public and provide an opportunity to hear from a panel of leaders including members of council and senior staff, Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and our City Manager, Tim Commisso. How to Participate Burlington residential phone numbers will be randomly selected to be part of the telephone town hall. Residents who would like to be added to the telephone call list can email getinvolved@burlington.ca by the end of day March 25. Anyone who does not receive a telephone invitation can call 1-800-280-9610 at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 26 to join the town hall. For those individuals calling in to the town hall, please be advised that more than one attempt may be required to connect to the call due to the high volume of traffic on the phone lines. If your call does not connect you to the town hall on your first try, please hang up and dial the 1-800 number again. Information about the town hall will also be shared across the city through the City and Mayor’s website and social media channels as well as the Burlington Post. We ask our residents to help spread the word to their friends and neighbours so that anyone who is interested may participate. Once the call begins, participants will be provided instructions by a moderator for submitting their questions to the leadership panel. Any questions that are not answered within the hour-long call will be posted, with answers, to the City’s website at burlington.ca/coronavirus, along with an audio file of the call and a full transcript as soon we can. We know many residents are returning this weekend from March Break travel. If this applies to you and your family, it is absolutely imperative that you follow expert healthcare advice to self-isolate and self-monitor for a period of 14 days to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Clarity and detail about what self-isolation means can be found on this link from the Government of Canada. If you are low on groceries and supplies, reach out to healthy friends and neighbours for help, especially if you are sick. Maintain social distancing and thorough hand washing. It is important to know that even if you don’t have symptoms, you can still be carrying this virus and, more importantly, transmit it to others, including our most vulnerable residents. If you are showing symptoms of COVID-19 please call 311 for further instructions about diagnosis and testing. It is important that you also get caught up on everything that has happened in our city including business closures, essential services, and community supports by visiting our dedicated webpage. More information can be found on other trusted news sources such as those listed at the bottom of this release. As we adjust to a new normal for the time being, we know it is important for our mental health to find ways to stay engaged and stay connected. Call each other and connect on social media to see how people are doing. Send letters and cards. Support local businesses and restaurants by shopping online or purchasing gift cards for future use. Donate to our local food banks and check their websites for safe methods of drop-off. Work with your children to create artwork or notes of support in your windows for passers-by, including participating in a new Stars of Hope initiative we are launching today. Go for walks and use public trails as a great way to get outdoors and stay active. With that said, please always use social distancing to avoid close contact with others and avoid the use of public playground equipment as it is not disinfected. This situation is evolving every hour and we are continually monitoring and communicating on every channel at our disposal. The City of Burlington will continue to keep you informed and we ask you to stay engaged with us. Burlington is ranked as Canada’s best community and best place to raise a family. It is a City where people, nature and businesses thrive. Sign up to learn more about Burlington at Burlington.ca/Enews and download the free City of Burlington app. Quotes Mayor Marianne Meed Ward “This telephone town hall is an important way for City leadership to connect with everyone in our community, especially those without access to digital channels like the internet and social media. I encourage our residents to spread the word to those they know who would benefit from this event. We want to ensure every person in Burlington hears a supportive voice and knows that we are here for them with resources and information to get them through this challenging time. For those returning from March Break trips, please get caught up on COVID-19 news and precautions by visiting our dedicated website, and practice strict self-isolation for the next 14 days. Every good choice you make helps protect the health and well-being of our entire community, and helps our amazing hospitals, healthcare workers and emergency responders avoid being overwhelmed by new cases.” COVID-19 Links and Resources
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| March 19 - Council considering tax relief for businesses and residents, applauds Provincial announcements today |
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Burlington, Ont.—March 19, 2020 - The City of Burlington is committed to supporting the health and well-being of our community by every means possible. We know many of our residents and businesses are struggling with concerns around health, finances, and supplies and we are taking steps each day to help. At our next scheduled council meeting, Burlington City Council will be considering a temporary change to late payment charges to provide relief for the April 21st property tax installment to help residents and businesses experiencing financial hardship during the COVID-19 outbreak. Based on council’s decision, this temporary change being proposed would mean that for the month of April 2020 and through to May 31st, with additional extensions being considered on a monthly basis:
We encourage taxpayers on a pre-authorized payment plan (10-month plan, due date plan and taxpayer defined plan) to continue on these payment plans where possible. There are many tax payment options available to the public which do not require your physical presence. We encourage taxpayers to make payments where possible during these unique times. Payment can be made as follows: • Directly through financial institutions – by internet, telephone banking or ATM • Pre-authorized Payment Plans • Regular mail or physical drop box (at the Locust Street entrance of City Hall) • 3rd party credit card processing companies Property taxes are the most important revenue source to ensure the city continues to provide the essential services for residents of the City of Burlington during these challenging circumstances. We applaud the Province’s decision today to enact The Employment Standards Amendment Act (Infectious Disease Emergencies), 2020 providing job-protected leave for employees who are in isolation or quarantine due to COVID-19, or those who need to be away from work to care for children because of school or day care closures or to care for other relatives. These measures are retroactive to January 25, 2020, the date the first presumptive COVID-19 case was confirmed in Ontario. The legislation will also make it clear employees cannot be required to show sick notes. This helps alleviate the worry of job security for people across Ontario and ensures no one is punished for following the advice of medical health professionals. The City’s leadership team and Mayor continue to engage daily with members of council, Halton Region, Joseph Brant Hospital, our emergency services teams, Burlington Hydro, and our partners in provincial and federal government. We are committed to finding ways to continue essential council business. We are pleased that the Province of Ontario passed legislation today giving municipalities the ability to fully conduct Council, local board and committee meetings electronically when faced with local and province-wide emergencies, empowering us to respond quickly when in-person meetings cannot be held. This ensures that we can make efficient decisions that are needed at a local level in a remote setting. These are the decisions that will keep our communities safe, functioning and informed during these challenging times.
The Mayor has also reached out to the Province to consider relief and flexibility on timelines related to planning and development deadlines including those related to statutory public meetings. A copy of that letter can be found on her website. City staff, the Mayor and Councillors have all received questions from residents about how to obtain support as well as generous offers of help to support others in need in our community. Ontario 211 is a free helpline that connects you to community and social services in your area 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in over 150 languages. 211 is answered and updated by highly-trained specialists. You can visit 211.ca or call 211 from your phone with questions related to food, family services, employment, community programs and crisis support. We have also been made aware of online support groups including The Good Neighbour Project - GTA and Burlington Covid Response, both of which are on Facebook. You may wish to visit those groups to either seek support or offer help to others. Please ensure you always follow the advice of healthcare experts while supporting others including social distancing, hand washing, and staying home if you are sick. This situation is evolving every hour and we are continually monitoring. The City of Burlington will continue to keep you informed. Burlington is ranked as Canada’s best community and best place to raise a family. It is a City where people, nature and businesses thrive. Sign up to learn more about Burlington at Burlington.ca/Enews and download the free City of Burlington app. Quotes Mayor Marianne Meed Ward “I continue to be impressed by how our community is coming together to support one another and follow the advice of healthcare experts by staying and working from home whenever possible and employing social distancing. These continue to be difficult times and we are looking ahead to how we can best continue council and city business, keep essential services going, and support residents and businesses. Waiving the April property tax payment interest penalty for late or missed payments is one way we can provide some financial relief. The Province’s work today to protect jobs is a great step to alleviating worry and help people follow the advice of healthcare professionals. Maintaining council’s ability to make decisions on important city business without the need for physical quorum is a top priority and the provincial government’s legislation today provides us with the flexibility we need to do so. While the amount of information is changing rapidly I encourage everyone to stay as informed as possible on our city channels and through trusted news sources. The more we each know, the better we can act responsibly to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and keep our community safe.” Joan Ford, Director of Finance, City of Burlington “The COVID-19 situation has created a great deal of uncertainty and worry for residents and businesses. For this reason, the city is considering temporary relief for property owners who may for financial hardship reasons, have trouble paying their property taxes due in April. This relief will be reviewed as the situation warrants. The city has implemented necessary steps to limit spending in order to ensure essential/critical services have the much-needed resources available to them. As a reminder there are many ways to make your property tax payments that do not require your physical presence at a certain location.” COVID-19 Links and Resources
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| March 18 - City offers free transit, closes City Hall, discourages group gatherings in parks and more steps to slow the spread of COVID19 |
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Burlington, Ont.—March 18, 2020 — The City of Burlington is continuing to support the efforts to slow the COVID-19 virus. We continue to deal with a number of items tied directly to the City’s overriding goal of keeping our staff and the public safe and minimizing the spread of the COVID-19 virus by following the advice of our public health officials to increase social distancing. Effective immediately City hall will be closing facilities and asking staff to work from home with the exception of services that need to be delivered under one of the following categories:
Going forward, responding to emergency situations across all City service areas will be a priority. Additionally, the following updates are also in place, effective immediately:
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| March 17 - City of Burlington waives downtown parking fees during COVID-19 |
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Burlington, Ont.—March 17, 2020 — As the City of Burlington continues to support the efforts to slow the COVID-19 virus, payment is not required for on-street parking or in municipal parking lots until further notice. This is to take away numerous people touching the same parking machines throughout the day. Parking enforcement for lack of payment is also suspended. Machines are being put ‘out-of-order’ and covered with stickers to let patrons know that payment is not required. Parking enforcement is currently limited to safety-related issues such as fire routes, accessible parking, no parking/stopping areas and blocked areas. Time limit restrictions have been relaxed to help those working from home or self-isolating. For this measure to be successful and deliver its intended relief, it is imperative that parking permit holders in municipal lots continue to park in their assigned lots. Residents who would like to dispute a ticket, can do so online or via a phone meeting. Because ticket review requests have dropped in volume, parking services is reducing the number of days per week that online and phone requests will be reviewed. Online and phone ticket reviews will be held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., until further notice. |
| March 16 - City of Burlington Information on Emergency Planning Operations, Additional Closures and Other Updates |
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Burlington, Ont.—March 16, 2020—To protect the public and City staff and to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 virus, all City facilities including City Hall continue to be closed to public until Monday, April 6. City operations, services and responses are focused on protecting the community from COVID-19 and urgent matters. While Mayor Meed Ward has not yet declared an official emergency on COVID-19, the City of Burlington activated its Crisis Management Team (CMT) on Friday, March 13 to coordinate City efforts to protect public and staff from the spread of COVID-19, while maintaining essential City services to the community. The activation of the CMT is a phased approach as part of the City’s Emergency Management Program. The City of Burlington has four (4) levels of emergency activation, which mirrors that of Halton Region and the Province. Alert Level - Very Low – Manageable – has no immediate impact on service operations or resources. Level 1 - Enhanced Monitoring - Low – Disruptive Impacts a small subset of essential services or a broad range of essential services for a short period of time or has no immediate impact but impacts will grow if not addressed in a timely manner. Level 2 Partial Activation - Medium – Issue/Crisis Management and/or Disaster Management An event, procedure, practice or action that may trigger a crisis community centric (public facing) and / or a corporate /department impact disaster that occurs (internal facing with service line impact(s). Level 3 Full Activation - High – Crisis – Mission Critical - Impacts the ability for the Corporation and/or Department or other service areas to deliver essential services and/or impacts the community on a large scale. Currently, the City is at Level 2. A Level 3 activation would mean the activation of the City’s Emergency Control Group (ECG). During the onset of this pandemic, the City started tracking outbreaks geographically. As the numbers of the infected population started to spread, we increased our level to an enhanced monitoring state and proactively pulled together our Rapid Response Team which was comprised of executive representatives across the corporation to collaborate and strategize means of preventing the spread of COVID-19 across our corporation and in the community. Upon receiving information of infected residents of Burlington and monitoring staff returning from declared countries in self-isolation, the City of Burlington decided to activate its Crisis Management Team under a Level 2 – Partial Emergency Activation. In alignment with the approach from the federal government, the best thing residents can do to protect themselves and the community is stay home, except for essential trips. City buildings closed to general public access effective March 16 include:
In addition to all Parks and Recreation services and programs being cancelled and facilities being closed, residents are asked to avoid using City playgrounds until further notice. Essential services including Burlington Fire, Burlington Transit including Handi-Van, Halton Court Services, Traffic Services, Roads, Parks and Forestry Operations and Animal Control Services will continue to operate as needed to support urgent needs in our community. Burlington Transit continues to have its buses sprayed with disinfectant to sanitize all buses. Service Burlington will continue to operate via phone 905-335-7600 and email city@burlington.ca and we encourage residents reach out if they have questions about COVID-19. Residents can also access services using the City of Burlington mobile app. A drop box outside of City Hall is available to drop off documents. Residents are encouraged to delay any non-essential business. All Burlington Citizen Advisory Committee meetings have been cancelled until April 5, 2020. It is possible that meetings scheduled later into April may also be cancelled or delayed as needed. The following meetings are cancelled:
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| March 15 - City of Burlington closes all City facilities to public access effective Monday, March 16 to Sunday, April 5 |
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To protect the public and City staff and to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 virus, all City facilities including City Hall will be closed to public access effective Monday, March 16 to Sunday, April 5. While Mayor Meed Ward has not yet declared an official emergency on COVID-19, Burlington’s Crisis Management Team (CMT) has now fully activated the City of Burlington Emergency Response Plan at a Level 2. This decision made today by the CMT, in close consultation with the Mayor, enables a more rapid response to dedicating specific resources to prevention and containment of the virus. City buildings closed to general public access effective March 16 include: City Hall (phone/online/drop box still available) Roads, Parks and Forestry Burlington Transit - Transit Operations Centre Animal Shelter City offices in SIMs Square office building (390 Brant Street) 414 Locust Street offices Burlington Fire Headquarters and all stations Essential services including Burlington Fire, Burlington Transit including Handi-Van, Halton Court Services, Traffic Services, By-Law Enforcement, Roads, Parks and Forestry Operations, Animal Control Services and POA Courts will continue to operate as usual to support our community. Cemetery services will be by appointment. Service Burlington will continue to operate via phone 905-335-7600 and email city@burlington.ca and we encourage residents reach out if they have questions. Residents can also access services using the City of Burlington mobile app. A drop box outside of City Hall is available to drop off documents. Residents are encouraged to delay any non-essential business or to consider conducting business online or by phone, where possible. Meetings with City staff where appropriate can be setup on a case by case basis and will require a health screening process in keeping with established public health guidelines. All Burlington Citizen Advisory Committee meetings have been cancelled until April 5, 2020. The following meetings are cancelled:
City staff are reviewing options related to the upcoming March 30 Burlington City Council meeting, as there are time sensitive matters that may require Council resolution. The City of Burlington is looking into how the meeting may be conducted and will be provide an update closer to the meeting date. |
Closures and Cancellations
The City and many other local boards, agencies, organizations and public facilities have made the decision to close their doors in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community. We have compiled a consolidated list below, as we know it now.
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Organizations and residents with upcoming rentals may cancel or rebook at a future date (pending availability) with no penalty. Please contact rentals@burlington.ca For registrations, including March Break programs please email liveandplay@burlington.ca to withdraw from an upcoming course without penalty, or to withdraw from a course in progress to receive a prorated refund. |
Community and Business Supports
In these times, we are fortunate in Burlington to be a city filled with many generous and caring people, it is one of the many reasons we are the best community in Canada. In times of need and uncertainty, we can always count on each other.
Community Supports
Several community groups are forming offering support to those who need it. Please see below to learn more. Halton Region is also aware of emergent volunteer groups that would like to help and are connecting with those groups to support and leverage their capacity. We will continue to stay connected with the Region as information is available.
| Good Neighbour Project - GTA |
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Good Neighbour Project – GTA: This program, run by volunteers, has created a volunteer-based task force who are on standby to support the vulnerable in our communities who require delivery assistance for supplies and groceries. You can volunteer to pick-up supplies or you can request assistance by visiting www.fb.com/groups/goodneighbourproject or calling 647-873-2230. People needing assistance could be seniors, persons with disabilities, someone (or a family) in self-isolation or a single parent. Please pass on their phone number to anyone you think may need help. |
| Burlington Covid Response |
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Burlington Covid Response: Another local Facebook group is CareMongering Burlington for Burlington Covid Response www.facebook.com/groups/burlingtoncovidresponse. This group was created by residents for locals to post and share information on community updates. Please ensure you always follow the advice of healthcare experts while supporting others including social distancing, hand washing, and staying home if you are sick. |
| Ontario 211 |
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Ontario 211: This is a free helpline that connects you to community and social services in your area 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in over 150 languages. 211 is answered and updated by highly-trained specialists. You can visit 211.ca or call 211 from your phone with questions related to food, family services, employment, community programs and crisis support. |
| Local Foodbanks |
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Local foodbanks: Please consider donating money online to a foodbank. The Burlington Foodbank is an option. To make a donation or to use the foodbank, visit www.burlingtonfoodbank.ca |
| Giving Blood |
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Giving blood: Maintaining a blood supply is as important as ever during COVID-19. If you are eligible and well, please consider donating blood. Visit myaccount.blood.ca or call 1-888-2-Donate |
Tax Relief
We know many of our residents and businesses are also struggling with finances.
At its next meeting, Burlington City Council will consider a temporary change to late payment charges to provide relief for the April 21 property tax installment to help residents and businesses experiencing financial hardship during the Coronavirus outbreak.
Click on the link for details on the COVID-19 Interim Property Tax Relief.
Business Supports
Team Burlington Supporting Businesses
Burlington’s business support organizations (Team Burlington), which includes Burlington Economic Development, Burlington Chamber of Commerce, Burlington Downtown Business Association, Aldershot Village BIA and Tourism Burlington are taking a coordinated approach in supporting businesses during COVID-19.
A business resource site has been launched to keep businesses informed about programs, funding opportunities, resources and online services to help ease the stress and uncertainty businesses are currently facing.
Burlington Economic Development has also set-up a business support phone line to provide businesses with direct access to staff to answer questions and help make sense of new information coming from higher levels of government. Businesses can call 289-337-5505, ext. 102, Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Mental Health Supports
| Distress Centre Halton |
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Distress Centre Halton: This service provides telephone and online support to people in our community to better cope with crisis, loneliness, and emotional stress. Having the support of a friendly person who cares about your feelings and what you’re going through can make all the difference. Distress Centre Halton is still operating all services online and over the phone. Here is the contact info should you want to reach out:
Please visit their website for more information. |
| Reach Out Centre for Kids (ROCK) |
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Reach Out Centre for Kids (ROCK): ROCK is an accredited, multi-service organization providing services to children and youth from birth to 17 years of age and their families. Remote services are being offered for families and children to turn to during this difficult time for help. Office Tel: 289 266-0036 Please visit their website for more information. |
We continue to work closely with Halton Region Public Health and make our decisions based on the latest scientific evidence on COVID-19.
We thank our residents for their understanding as we address this challenge together. We will continue to share City updates with the public.
| Actions taken to date by the City of Burlington |
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| The best way residents can prevent the spread of respiratory viruses including COVID-19 |
Halton Region Public Health continues to track the virus in our community and assess health risk, including local transmission. Please take the recommendations from Public Health seriously and do your part to flatten the curve and control the spread of COVID-19:
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| Social Distancing |
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We need to listen to the recommendations of Public Health to practice physical distancing and self-isolate when directed – to protect ourselves, the ones most vulnerable, our first responders and healthcare workers. We must all do our part to control the spread of COVID-19. The Public Health Agency of Canada has provided this comprehensive information about social distancing to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Learn more... |
Stay Informed
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You can also view and subscribe to our Health and Safety Notices page for more information.
Links and Resources
- Halton Region Public Health www.halton.ca/coronavirus
- Government of Ontario: www.ontario.ca/coronavirus
- Government of Canada: www.canada.ca/coronavirus
- World Health Organization: www.who.int
- Residents can stay informed at Burlington.ca as well as on our social media channels: @cityburlington on twitter and facebook.com/cityburlington