Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The City of Burlington continues to take appropriate action to prioritize the health and well-being of our community and staff. Our goal is to keep the public and staff safe and help minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Masks
Masks or face coverings are mandatory in enclosed public spaces. Wearing a mask or face covering is now recommended outdoors when you can't physically distance more than two metres. For information, visit burlington.ca/coronavirusfaq.

COVID-19 enhanced vaccine certificate
In keeping with the provincial regulations and guidance, effective Sept. 22, 2021, individuals entering indoor City facilities used for sports, recreational fitness activities, meetings, and events, will be required to be fully vaccinated (as defined in the provincial guidance) and provide proof of vaccination, along with identification (unless otherwise exempt). For information, visit burlington.ca/coronavirusfaq.

Halton Region Public Health

For information about coronavirus, including vaccines, vaccination clinics, and when and where to get tested for COVID-19, please visit Halton Region public health at halton.ca/COVID19.

Vaccines

The approval and availability of COVID-19 vaccines is an important step in our collective response to stop the spread of the virus. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccination and vaccination clinics on the Halton Region website.

If you have COVID-19 related questions, email accesshalton@halton.ca or call 311.

For the latest actions taken by the City of Burlington please visit and subscribe to our News and Notices.

COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions

COVID-19 Community Resources

COVID-19 Telephone Townhalls

COVID-19 Burlington Task Force

What’s open for public use

Based on guidance from Provincial regulations and Halton Region Public Health, City services allowed to be offered will follow level policies and protocols in place to prioritize the health and safety of our staff and our residents.

We ask for your patience and understanding as the City works to ensure it has the appropriate resources and procedures in place to protect City staff and residents and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

What’s open

Service or Location	Status
Recreation programs	Indoor drop-in recreation programs will start on July 19 and indoor registered programs will be viewable on July 21, with registration opening on July 24. Visit burlington.ca/recreation. The Active-at-Home program and Telepals are still running. Outdoor adult drop-in programs for wellness and fitness are running. Pre-registration is required at burlington.ca/dropinandplay.
Basketball hoops in all parks	Open
Burlington Transit	Burlington Transit continues to operate on a modified schedule. For schedule and real-time bus information, visit myride.burlingtontransit.ca. Reduced Youth Summer passes and SPLIT passes are available to purchase at the Downtown Terminal, 430 John St.
City Hall	City Hall, located at 426 Brant St., is open to the public for washroom access every weekend until Labour Day weekend. Washroom hours are: Fridays, 4:30 to 9 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Service Burlington counter at City Hall, at 426 Brant St., is open to the public to offer in-person payments for: Parking permits and tickets Property taxes Freedom of Information requests Garbage tags Dog licenses Property information requests Recreation services The counter is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. Service Burlington offers marriage licenses and commissioning services by appointment only. Please call Service Burlington at 905-335-7777 or start your booking online to schedule an appointment at burlington.ca/marriagelicences or burlington.ca/commissioning. Payment methods accepted Debit card payments and cheques are accepted for all payment types. Credit cards are accepted for all payment types except property taxes. If you would like to pay property taxes in cash, please visit your local bank to make the payment. Anyone entering City Hall must wear a mask or face covering unless exempted from by the Mandatory Mask Bylaw. Residents are asked to bring and wear their own masks.
Community Gardens	Community gardens are open to permitted gardeners, volunteers and essential city staff only.
LaSalle Marina	Community boat launch is open. LaSalle Park Boat Launch - Daily Parking Fee
Leash-free dog parks	Open
Lowville Park	Starting June 12, please make an online reservation using Park Pass before you enter the park. Reservations are free and available in three-hour time slots. Visitors are reminded to continue to be vigilant about public health practices and provincial directives to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including: Maintaining 2 metre physical distance from others Outdoor gatherings restricted to up to 100 people Staying home if you feel sick. Washing and sanitizing hands before and after visiting the park by bike or on foot.
Halton Court Services	Court administration counter services at 4085 Palladium Way are open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday to Friday. Visitors to the courthouse must self-screen using the provincial e-screening application at http://covid-19.ontario.ca/courthouse-screening and wear a mask or face covering unless exempted from by the Mandatory Mask Bylaw. Telephone payments are available at 905-637-1274, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday and online at www.Paytickets.ca Please conduct business online (see below) or by phone, where possible. Trial requests - may be submitted by mail or online by filling out a Notice of Intention to Appear form available online, with a copy of the offence notice. Early Resolution requests - may be submitted online at ontario.ca/ticketsandfines or by mail. Re-opening and extension applications - may be submitted by email to burlingtoncourt@burlington.ca or by mail. Important note: The Affidavit of Re-opening currently doesn’t need to be commissioned.
Parking lots in City parks	Open
Parks, benches and picnic tables	Open Amenities are not being sanitized. Outdoor gatherings restricted to 100 people.
Park and public washrooms	The following washrooms are open 7 days a week, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Paletta Lakefront Park Sherwood Forest Park (west washroom) Burloak Park LaSalle Park Lowville Park Spencer Smith Park Spencer Smith Park - Discovery Landing Spencer Smith Park - Portable washrooms at the East End near Waterfront Hotel Beachway Park Pavilion Additional Public Washrooms available in the downtown core: 414 Locust St. City Hall - 426 Brant St. (Fridays 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.)
Pickleball Courts- Outdoor	Open. Courts are open to the public 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Playground Equipment	Open
Pools- Indoor	Registered Drop-in programs will start on July 19 at Angela Coughlan pool, Aldershot pool, Tansley Woods pool and Centennial pool. For more information visit burington.ca/dropinandplay. Swimming lessons will be viewable July 21, registration begins on July 24 and lessons start on Aug. 3. To register, visit burlington.ca/recreation.
Pools- Outdoor	Nelson and Mountainside Pool and Splash Parks, LaSalle Splash Park and Splash pads are open for swimming lessons, drop-in lap swims, recreational swims, including Tim Hortons Free Summer Swimming days throughout the summer, until Sept. 6. For all outdoor pools, registration is required 25-hours in advance at burlington.ca/dropinandplay, and all participants must fill out the pre-screening form one-hour before their pool time at burlington.ca/screening. Rec-Summer Swim Passes and 30-day lap swim passes can also be purchased at liveandplay.burlington.ca. For more information on pools, visit burlington.ca/waterplay
Skate Parks	Open
Sport Facilities- Indoor	Indoor sports and recreational fitness facilities to open subject to a maximum 50 per cent capacity of the indoor space. Spectators, with capacity limits, will be phased in over several weeks to allow the City to focus on the safe return of athletes. Capacity for outdoor spectators is 75 per cent of the usual seating capacity or 15,000 people, whichever is less
Sports Fields	Open
Spencer Smith Park	Open
Splash Pads	Open
Tennis Courts	Open
Tyandaga Golf Course	Open. All golfers must have a tee-time reservation (no walk-ins). Dining room is open. Tyandagagolf.com

City Services Available

The following public services/programs are available while the City continues to operate under a state of emergency. The City also continues to provide a number of services online by e-form or website application, view our Online Services webpage for more information.

Service Area	Services Available
Design and Build Services	Building Inspections Building Code Permits Official Plan and/or Zoning Bylaw Amendment Site plan/minor developments/zoning certificates/grading and drainage clearance certificate
Customer Relations and Citizen Representation	Council and Committee meetings Statutory Public meetings General phone reception, general email inquiries Burial permits/death registration Freedom of Information requests Marriage Licenses and Commissioning (by appointment)
Maintenance Services	Cemetery Interment Services Cemetery grounds maintenance (limited) Cemetery Customer Service & Sales (limited) Community Garden Program Grass cutting of parkland, sports fields, boulevards and hydro right of ways Turf maintenance sports fields (limited) Debris pick up, waste and recycling removal from park Road patrolling Street Sweeping Roadway maintenance Resident Drainage Customer Service Site Alteration Permitting and Administration Tree Maintenance (limited) Public Tree Bylaw Administration and Enforcement Private Tree By law Pilot
Public Safety Services	Dog Licensing Care of Stray and Abandoned Animals (no adoptions) Animal By laws Enforcement and Education Bylaw Enforcement Bylaw Licensing, Sign/Pool Permits Emergency Management Fire Response Fire Dispatch
Roads and Transportation Services	Specialized Transit Conventional Transit Traffic Operations Traffic Signals Street lighting Road and Structures Construction Inspection Municipal consent (limited) Parking By law Enforcement (limited)

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, with the most up-to-date status.

City closures and program/service cancellations

Service or Location	Status
City of Burlington - Animal Services	Animal Shelter closed to the public, includes tours, visits, pet adoptions, volunteering. Animal services that will continue to be provided: Care of animals in the shelter Accepting stray animals; and animals people are unable to keep as the result of being hospitalized* Delivery of stray animals to owners* Dead animal pick-up and sick/injured wildlife calls Bylaw investigations Assisting the police *Please use the drop box at the rear of the shelter or arrange a time for an exchange at the requester’s residence. If you have any questions, please contact the shelter by calling 905-335-3030 during regular business hours or email AnimalShelter.Mailbox@burlington.ca.
City of Burlington – City Council meetings and smaller public meetings	To protect the health and safety of staff and residents and to prevent the spread of COVID-19, all City Council and Committee meetings are being held virtually. Learn more about virtual delegations at Council and Committee meetings...
City of Burlington - Citizen Advisory Committee meetings	Special meetings could be called if there are time sensitive or urgent matters.
City of Burlington - City organized, large public meetings and gatherings	Cancelled
Recreation Services	All indoor, in-person programs are cancelled

External Partner closures and program/service cancellations

Please check the websites of the following services and locations for the most up-to-date information on openings and closures

Aldershot BIA

All publicly funded schools in Ontario

Art Gallery of Burlington

Burlington Chamber of Commerce

Burlington Downtown Business Association

Burlington Economic Development

Burlington Public Libraries

Burlington Museums

Burlington Performing Arts Centre

Friends of Freeman Station

Royal Botanical Gardens

TechPlace

Tourism Burlington

Refunds for Recreation programming

Requests for refunds can be sent by email to liveandplay@burlington.ca. Please be sure to include your full mailing address in your request.

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. Please view our COVID-19 Community Resources page for more information.

Property Tax Relief

At a special meeting of Council on March 3, 2021, City Council approved a 2021 COVID-19 Property Tax Deferral Payment Plan to provide relief to residents and businesses that continue to face financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The application-based program will allow eligible property owners who are unable to pay property taxes by the regularly scheduled tax due dates, to defer taxes under a pre-authorized payment plan. If eligible, equal monthly withdrawals will be made that will allow for the property taxes to be paid in full by Dec. 1, 2021.

To learn more about the deferral plan, visit burlington.ca/propertytax

Property taxes are the most important revenue source for the city to ensure we continue to provide essential services for residents of the City of Burlington during these challenging circumstances. Taxpayers are encouraged 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.

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.

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.

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