Coronavirus: What’s cancelled, postponed and still running in the Brockville region

Although there have been no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark region, all surrounding public health agencies have now confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in their communities. The cases impacting covering the Ottawa, Cornwall and Kingston areas have been linked to international travel. As a result many services, amenities and events have been cancelled or postponed to stop the spread of the virus.

The province declared a state of emergency Tuesday requiring a number of legally required closures:

• Indoor recreation facilities
• Public libraries
• Child care facilities
• Private schools
• Theatres
• Concert venues
• All bars and restaurants, except those that provide takeout or delivert options

Public health officials are suggesting that people practice social distancing, work from home when possible and wash their hands as much as possible.

To help you plan the following weeks through the novel coronavirus pandemic, Global New has created a list of what is cancelled, postponed and still running in the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark region.

Municipal Services:

Brockville City Hall and the Gord Watts Municipal Centre will be closed to the public until April 5, 2020 along with the following City facilities to the public:

• Brockville Arts Centre
• Brockville Museum
• Brockville Public Library
• Brockville Youth Arena and Brockville Memorial Centre
• City Hall
• Harbour Public Washrooms
• Gord Watts Municipal Centre
• Rotary Park Public Washrooms
• Water Treatment Centre
• Water Pollution Control Centre
• Station 1 Fire Hall (Perth Street)

Brockville Police have implemented some temporary measures in order to facilitate a safe work environment and a safe community.

• The Brockville Police will be responding to emergency calls for service, however, measures have been put in place to allow some non-emergency calls to be handled over the telephone.
• The Brockville Police Facility will be closed to the general public, however, those who attend can speak with dispatch staff via intercom.
• Fingerprints will be rescheduled.
• Persons coming into contact with police may be asked some simple screening questions.

Brockville Fire Department will continue to respond to emergency calls, however the following measures have been put in place for non-emergency issues.

• Residents are encouraged to use the telephone for non-emergency calls.
• Station 2 Fire Hall (Laurier Avenue) will be closed for all public visits and tours. Meetings with staff will be by appointment only. Visitors will be screened in the entrance lobby.

The Town of Gananoque has announced the following disruption of services at Town facilities until April 5.

• The council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, was cancelled
• Town Hall is closed to the public. Staff remain on site. Services to the public will continue by phone and electronic means.  Paperwork/payments can be dropped off using the front entrance mail slot. For larger items, please contact ext. 1111 and special arrangements for deliveries will be made.
• The fire hall is closed to the public, only police and fire department essential personal will be allowed in the building.
• The March 31 tax due date will be extended until the municipal office has been reopened for 5 business days. Interest will not be applied until the 6th business day.
• The Arena, visitor centre, and public works office are also closed. Services are available via phone and email.

Gananoque Police/Emergency Services building remains open but due to COVID19 the front door is locked. Visitors are asked to use the intercom and dispatch personel will assist you. A screening process will determine entry into the building.

The Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands office is closed to the public until Monday, April 6, 2020. The office will remain staffed and operational to provide essential services and assistance to residents — staff can be reached by phone and email. To contact the office, please call 613-659-2415 or email info@townshipleeds.on.ca.

Council, committee of the whole, and committees of council will only meet to deal with urgent, legislative, regulatory and/or time sensitive issues. Public meetings scheduled for April 6 will be postponed to a future date. Notice for these meetings will be recirculated when dates are determined.

All Township recreational programming, events, and facility rentals have been suspended for the immediate future, as gatherings can accelerate the spread of the virus.

Building inspections will continue on a limited basis. Building inspectors will require social distancing measures on site and may use alternative measures such as photos and videos for inspections. When entering the location for an inspection, the inspector will only view the area needed for the inspection and will touch as little as possible and maintain a safe social distance.

Interim property tax payments are due March 20, 2020 and utility bills are due March 31, 2020.

Operations and road functions will continue as per regular standards and guidelines. Waste sites remain open at this time as per regular schedule.

Leeds and the Thousand Islands Fire Services will continue to operate under standard operating procedures, however, they have taken additional measures to protect first responders.

Leeds and the Thosuand Islands Public Library, while closed until April 6, have been developing and implementing a series of web-based programs.

1:54 Coronavirus: 3 cases of COVID-19 in the KFL&A area

The Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley has implemented the following responses:

1. Municipal buildings closed to the public – Effective immediately, all municipal buildings (including municipal offices, libraries, fire halls, public works buildings) are closed to the public until April 20, 2020.  Emails and telephone calls are still being accepted.
2. Council and committee meetings are cancelled – Effective immediately all council/advisory/board/committee meetings are cancelled until April 20, 2020.
3. Tax due date extended – The tax due date for the first tax payment installment is postponed from March 27, 2020 to April 24, 2020 and this date may be subject to a further extension if necessary. Various options for payment during the municipal building closure timeframe are available (please call the office or visit the Township’s website at www.ektwp.ca).
4. Waste Site Operations to be modified – Effective Friday, March 20, only recyclables and bagged garbage will be accepted.  This will remain in effect until April 20, 2020.

To support the recent clear directives from both the Prime Minister and the Premier of Ontario, to stay at home and mitigate the exposure and spread of COVID-19, effective March 25, where possible Elizabethtown-Kitley Township staff have been directed to stay at home and work remotely until Tuesday, April 14, 2020.

All municipal buildings, including libraries, remain closed to the public and that playground equipment in Township parks is not disinfected and should not be used.

The following essential Township services will remain in effect during this period:

• core fire and emergency services
• essential road maintenance
• waste site operations (modified to accept recyclables and bagged garbage only)
• regular curb side pick-up throughout geographic Kitley
• building permit application receipt and issuance, with a modified acceptance/issuance process, and limited site inspections

The Township’s website at www.ektwp.ca continues to offer updated COVID-19 (coronavirus) information and links to reliable sources of information. Anyone exhibiting symptoms of concern related to COVID-19 (such as fever, cough, difficulty breathing) are again reminded to reach out to the local Health Unit at 613-345-5683 or call Telehealth at 1-866-797-0000.  Please do not call 911 unless it is an emergency.

Transit and travel disruption:

Brockville Transit has taken new precautions to ensure there is as little disruption a possible.

• Starting Wednesday, March 18, the 40-ride passes are to be returned into the fare box by the rider when presented.
• The transit driver will issue the rider 40 paper tickets. This removes the need for physical interaction between rider and driver.
• People will be able to transfer buses very easily, however, the actual paper transfer will no longer be issued.
• As a safety precaution, additional cleaning of buses will also take place.

Hospitals/Health Services:

Brockville General Hospital has implemented visitor restrictions:

• A limit of one visitor to each patient
• No children under 16
• Exceptions on compassionate grounds may be considered on an individual basis.

Active screening is underway at the Charles Street and Garden Street sites and those entering will be required to complete a survey. All visitors, outpatients (example: x-ray, CT scan, or ultrasound), staff and physicians must use the main entrance at the Charles Street site. The main entrance will be closed at 8 p.m. and unlocked at 6 a.m.

Amenities for the vulnerable sector

Shoppers Drug Mart will set aside an hour each day for seniors and people living with disabilities to shop and will provide seniors with a 20 per cent discount on regular-priced items during that window each day.

Temporary closures for amenities, organizations and services

In conjunction with OLG, Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands has temporarily suspend all casino operations.

Cineplex Galaxy Cinemas Brockville is closed through to April 2, 2020.

The Brockville Aquatarium is closed to the public until further notice.

Education disruption

The Upper Canada District School Board has closed schools as per the the Government of Ontario announced closure of all public schools through to April 5, 2020. In addition to the cancellation of all classes, the following will apply:

•  The administrative office in Brockville is open but working with minimal staff as employees are encouraged to limit their presence in the office.  Given the reduced availability of employees at the office, inquiries are to be made by telephone 1-800-267-7131 or by email at inquiries@ucdsb.on.ca.
• All childcare facilities that operate within UCDSB schools are closed during the school closure period.
• All third-party use of our schools is canceled during this time of closure, that includes programs such as Boys and Girls Club, sports and other activities. Please direct any questions regarding these activities to the event/activity/program organizers.
• All co-op programs have been suspended during the school closures.
• Dual Credit Programs: The UCDSB is currently reviewing how/if dual credit programs for secondary students will continue during this time. More information will be communicated directly to those involved in those programs.
•  E-learning for students that are already enrolled can continue with those courses during this time of school closures.
• All field trips are cancelled or postponed until May. Schools will contact parents and students who are impacted directly.
• Learning Resources for Students: The provincial government is assembling online learning resources for students and families to access. The UCDSB is working to have more regarding this as of March 24.
• EQAO Assessments Cancelled: Given the school closure period and the uncertainty beyond that point, the Ministry of Education has cancelled all EQAO assessments, including the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), for the remainder of this school year. For students who are graduating in the 2019-20 school year, the literacy graduation requirement will be waived. Students who are not graduating this school year will have the opportunity to write the OSSLT in the upcoming 2020-21 school year.
• UCDSB Board of Trustees Meetings: The Board of Trustees meeting scheduled for March 25 will proceed virtually. More information on how the public can access this meeting will come shortly.

St. Lawrence College classes have been suspended until March 20:

• Brockville/Kingston/Cornwall campuses are closed to students, general public and employees with the exception of essential services. Residence is open to International students and other students who may need to remain.
• All on- and off-campus events planned between now and April 10 are being cancelled or postponed until a later date. No new bookings or plans for events hosted campuses will take place during this time. This applies to events where members of the external community are invited and to events that are taking place off-campus, at community locations. Decisions regarding future events will be made on a week- by week- basis.

Sports cancellations

• All CCHL games, including those played by the Brockville Braves have been suspended until further notice.

What’s still on:

• All LCBO and Beer Store locations will remain open, despite the state of emergency across the province. Locations will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
• Plaza REIT/1000 Islands Mall is giving tenants the opportunity to reduce their hours of operation. Please reach out directly to tenants to find out if they have modified their store hours.
• At this time, the Brockville Railway Tunnel is still scheduled to open on April 4, 2020 to the public. In order to ensure the safety of residents, there will not be a grand opening so as to avoid a large group gathering.

This is an evolving list and will be updated as more information becomes available. Please send notice of any cancellations to newswatch@corusent.com.