Limit on gatherings reduced in Vaughan

Sept. 19, 2020 12:00 p.m.
City of Vaughan
COVID-19 Updates
 
City of Vaughan news is released on a daily basis and kept on vaughan.ca for reference purposes. For the most recent updates and news as they happen, visit vaughan.ca/COVID19, sign up for the City Update eNewsletter at vaughan.ca/CityUpdate and follow the official corporate channels on and follow the official corporate channels on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. 

 

​A disciplined, responsible and measured approach to COVID-19


As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, the City of Vaughan continues to follow health and safety directives and advice from York Region Public Health and the Province of Ontario. Effective immediately, the limit on the number of people allowed to attend an unmonitored social gathering or organized public event in Vaughan and York Region is restricted to 10 people indoors (previous limit of 50) and 25 people outdoors (previous limit of 100). This includes functions, parties, dinners, gatherings, barbecues or wedding receptions held in private residences, backyards and parks.
 
The new limits will not apply to events or gatherings held in staffed businesses and facilities, such as bars, restaurants, cinemas, convention centres or banquet halls, gyms, and recreational sporting or performing art events. Existing rules, including public health and workplace safety measures, for these businesses and facilities continue to be in effect.
 
Indoor and outdoor events and gatherings cannot be merged together. These are not accumulative and gatherings of 35 (25 outdoors and 10 indoors) are not permitted.
 
Vaughan has taken a disciplined, responsible and measured approach to reopening the city. As some restrictions are lifted, other precautionary measures remain in place to protect everyone in the community from further transmission of the virus. Citizens are urged to remain vigilant and take precautions when visiting recently reopened facilities and amenities. Essential services continue uninterrupted and many programs have been introduced through online, teleconference or modified in-person methods. The latest updates are available at vaughan.ca/ReopeningVaughan.
 
Below is more information on ongoing services, recent reopenings, continued closures and programs that have been impacted by COVID-19:  
ESSENTIAL SERVICES
Essential services remain intact, including fire and emergency response, waste collection, water/wastewater services, by-law and enforcement services, building inspections and the Access Vaughan contact centre at 905-832-2281 or accessvaughan@vaughan.ca, among many others.
 
CITY FACILITIES AND AMENITIES
The following facilities remain closed:
  • Vaughan City Hall (until Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, at the earliest)
  • City Playhouse Theatre
  • Community centres (with the exception of fitness centres by appointment, arenas by permit and select pools by pre-registration)
  • Joint Operations Centre (until Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, at the earliest)
  • Vaughan Animal Shelter (except by appointment, for adoption purposes only)
  • Vaughan Public Libraries (with the exception of Bathurst Clark Resource Library, Civic Centre Resource Library and Pierre Berton Resource Library) 
The following amenities have reopened:
  • Arenas (by permit only)
  • Fitness centres (by appointment only)
  • Off-leash dog park
  • Outdoor basketball courts
  • Outdoor bocce courts
  • Outdoor exercise equipment
  • Outdoor volleyball courts
  • Park benches
  • Park public washrooms
  • Parking lots in parks
  • Picnic tables and gazebos
  • Playgrounds
  • Premium/artificial fields and diamonds (by permit only)
  • Select indoor pools (by registration only)
  • Skateboard parks
  • Splashpa
  • ds
  • Sports fields and baseball diamonds
  • Squash courts (by appointment only)
  • Tennis courts
  • Trails 
  • Vaughan Public Libraries (Bathurst Clark Resource Library, Civic Centre Resource Library and Pierre Berton Resource Library only) 
When using reopened amenities, residents must: stay at least two metres (approximately six feet) away from others not in their social circles; not share play equipment such as tennis balls and racquets; and keep dogs on a leash unless it is a designated off-leash area. Playgrounds are neither supervised nor sanitized and require everyone to take precautions. Premium and artificial fields and diamonds are available to permit holders only. 
 
All violations can be reported to Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or accessvaughan@vaughan.ca. Reports of this nature will be referred to the City's By-law and Compliance, Licensing and Permit Services department for investigation. Fines in the amount of $105 to $400 under the Parks By-law and $500 to $100,000 under the Emergency Measures By-law may be laid. 
 
RECREATION SERVICES
Vaughan Fitness Centres are open by appointment only from Monday to Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 6:45 p.m., except for Father E. Bulfon Community Centre, which will close at 5 p.m. on weekends. Strict measures are in place, including frequent cleaning and sanitization, controlled access, limited capacity and pre-scheduled 75-minute workout time blocks. Members can register online at vaughan.ca/RecOnline.
 
Indoor and outdoor fitness classes are being offered to Vaughan Fitness members only. Pre-registration for all classes is required and can be done online at vaughan.ca/RecOnline. Schedules – which have been modified in response to COVID-19 – and instructors are subject to change. In the event of inclement weather, outdoor fitness class cancellations will be posted to vaughan.ca/fitness. Refer to the Vaughan Fitness Class Guidelines (PDF) for more information.
 
Many community centre pools are open for recreational swims, length swimming and aquafitness, with limited availability to pool plan holders and Vaughan Fitness members only. Pre-registration is required to use the pool and can be done at vaughan.ca/RecOnline. View pool guidelines, the check-in procedure and schedules at vaughan.ca/swim. As of Monday, Sept. 21, the pools at Chancellor, Dufferin Clark and Woodbridge community centres will also be reopening under strict guidelines.
 
Arenas are now open by permit only. Visit vaughan.ca/recreation for updates.
 
Frequent enhancements are also made to the Recreation department’s webpage featuring virtual recreation resources for all ages, abilities and areas of interest. Popular programming includes:
  • Vaughan Playschool educational reading, writing, math and science worksheets for children aged three to five years old.
  • easy-to-follow at-home workouts from Vaughan Fitness instructors featured on Recreation Services’ Instagram TV. Full-length classes are also posted to the Recreation Vaughan YouTube channel.
  • acting, dancing and singing with the City Playhouse Theatre crew.
  • learning first-aid basics from certified Vaughan lifeguards.
  • general activities such as cooking, arts and crafts, colouring and more. 
VAUGHAN PUBLIC LIBRARIES
As of Tuesday, Sept. 8, Vaughan Public Libraries (VPL) reopened its three resource libraries – Bathurst Clark Resource Library, Civic Centre Resource Library and Pierre Berton Resource Library. Although all in-library programs remain cancelled until January 2021, the fully digital library service continues to be enhanced to engage and educate residents of all ages. The web hub features a variety of free online resources, including eBooks and audiobooks, films and television programs, music streaming services, e-learning courses, bilingual materials and more. Further content, such as virtual story time, is available daily on VPL’s Instagram.
 
Wi-Fi has been extended to reach the parking lot of VPL’s recently reopened resource libraries – Bathurst Clark Resource Library, Civic Centre Resource Library and Pierre Berton Resource Library. The Curbside Pickup program will continue to operate out of the remaining closed branches to provide customers with quick and convenient access. Reserve books and arrange a pickup date at vaughanpl.info/curbside.
 
VPL has also eliminated overdue fines, which are charged for the late return of library materials. No future overdue fines will be applied and all overdue fines currently on record will be automatically pardoned.
 
EVENTS
Some events are resuming virtually, including the 2020 Order of Vaughan, the annual Remembrance Day ceremony and the Vaughan Accessibility Champion Awards. The annual Vaughan Culture Days events are also scheduled to begin on Friday, Sept. 25 with a variety of virtual cultural programming and limited in-person opportunities across the city. Event details are available at vaughan.ca/CultureDays.
 
Other virtual public engagement opportunities are also in the works for a variety of other city-building projects.
 
COUNCIL MEETINGS
Electronic-participation Committee of the Whole and Council meetings resumed in September. Upcoming agendas can be viewed at vaughan.ca/CouncilMeetings. While Vaughan City Hall remains closed to the public, visit vaughan.ca/HaveYourSay to learn more about how to participate virtually, including live deputations via teleconference or telephone. Email or written communications are also accepted. Citizens can watch the meetings by tuning in to the live broadcast at vaughan.ca/LiveCouncil.
 
WASTE COLLECTIONS
Residents can receive customized notifications about their collections by downloading the Recycle Coach mobile app. To ensure that waste is collected, comply with the safe set-out requirements at vaughan.ca/waste. Bins containing materials that do not comply will be tagged and left behind. For one-on-one video coaching on how to divert more materials into blue boxes and green bins, book a Waste-less Virtual Visit session by contacting 905-832-2281 or accessvaughan@vaughan.ca.
 
While the City’s Joint Operations Centre remains closed for in-person visits, residents can purchase garbage tags by calling Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281. A new temporary bin exchange program is also being offered, which allows residents to replace broken City blue boxes and green bins through home delivery. To request an exchange and arrange a delivery, call Access Vaughan.
 
PUBLIC WORKS SERVICES
Keeping Vaughan clean has been an ongoing focus. These include street sweeping, litter pickup, garbage collection, boulevard maintenance, grass cutting, pavement marking and water and wastewater services.
 
Adjustments have been made to some regularly scheduled public works operations. Tree planting that was deferred in the spring will resume in September. Other services that have been delayed or reduced include tree maintenance, shrub bed maintenance, planting of annuals, weeding and mulching, road and sidewalk repair, replacement or addition of streetlight and traffic signals, implementation of new traffic operations and road safety measures, and water trailer event bookings.
 
BY-LAW AND COMPLIANCE, ENFORCEMENT SERVICES
By-law officers continue to operate, patrol and respond to calls on a priority basis. Online payments of administrative monetary penalties, such as parking tickets, can be made online via payvaughanticket.com. To arrange an alternative method of payment or schedule a dispute appointment, call 905-832-2281 within 15 days of receiving it. Scheduled disputes are being conducted over the phone until further notice.
 
Event, filming and lottery permits continue to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. These permit inquiries should be directed to Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or accessvaughan@vaughan.ca. On-street, visitor and overnight parking permits can be attained online at vaughan.ca/parking. Permits are also required for licensed establishments looking to create a patio or expand their current patio to accommodate physical distancing requirements. To begin the process, licensed businesses must complete an online registration (PDF) form. Further information and eligibility requirements are available on the City’s website.
 
VAUGHAN ANIMAL SERVICES
Vaughan Animal Services continues to serve the Vaughan, Richmond Hill and King communities through regular patrols and response to service calls. The Vaughan Animal Services Shelter remains closed, with limited access for adoption and pet recovery services by appointment only. Book an appointment by contacting 905-832-2281 or animal.services@vaughan.ca. Vaughan pet licensing and tag purchases are also available online. For general information, please visit vaughan.ca/AnimalServices.
 
BUILDING STANDARDS
The City’s Building Standards department continues to provide essential city-building services such as building code enforcement, processing building permits, conducting inspections and issuing occupancy permits. The department has also launched a new digital permitting portal enabling citizens and building industry professionals to apply, track and pay for permits online. Discover the portal at vaughan.ca/PermitPortal.
 
Additional online permitting options launched by the Development Engineering department for pools, grading for sheds, home additions and more can now be submitted and approved through the platform at vaughan.ca/DEPermits.
 
DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
The City’s Development Planning team has innovated its processes to ensure planning approvals and shovel-ready projects can move forward throughout the pandemic. These include digital new development applications, electronic-participation Pre-Application Consultation and virtual Heritage Vaughan and Design Review Panel meetings.
 
Several projects are underway that will guide development for intensification areas, such as the Vaughan Mills Centre and the Yonge Steeles Corridor, with a focus on safety, active transportation and sustainability. Work also continues on the Maple and Kleinburg Nashville Heritage Conservation District Plan Reviews, as well as a heritage inventory update.
 
INTEGRITY COMMISSIONER AND LOBBYIST REGISTRAR
The Office of the Integrity Commissioner and Lobbyist Registrar will not be taking in-person meetings while Vaughan City Hall remains closed. To book a virtual meeting, email integrity.commissioner@vaughan.ca or call 905-832-2281, ext. 8314 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
 
BUSINESS SUPPORTS
Virtual programs and new services are being offered to further support local businesses, including:
  • The newly launched vaughanbusiness.ca website with a dedicated COVID-19 information page.
  • Virtual business advisory services to support with registering a business, business planning, accessing government assistance programs and more. Local businesses can access these services through this online form.
  • Sector-specific eNewsletters to keep businesses up to date on government announcements, funding, and relevant programming. Businesses can subscribe here.
  • Online resources such as the #ShopVaughanLocal campaign and the Open For Business webpage
  • Access to all events and webinars hosted virtually for businesses across York Region via vaughanbusiness.ca/events.
  • Season two of the Vaughan Rising Podcast, which examines the resilience of Vaughan’s businesses community and talks to leaders who are pivoting, innovating and doing what it takes to make it through to the other side of the pandemi
  • c.
  • The Activa
  • te!Vaughan Health Innovation Challenge, in partnership with the Province of Ontario, Mackenzie Health, the Mackenzie Innovation Institute, SE Health, Sterling Industries, The HUB and ventureLAB. Entrepreneurs can register at vaughanbusiness.ca/ActivateVaughan by Monday, Oct. 5 to present innovative business solutions that will deliver high-quality, effective and patient-focused care.
  • The next cohort of the Digital Boost Vaughan Small Business Resiliency Program is set to begin. The program provides free training and mentorship to help local businesses adapt to the changing environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Register by Monday, Sept. 21 at vaughanbusiness.ca/DigitalBoost to secure a spot.  
OTHER SERVICES AND PROGRAMS FOR CITIZENS
Many services continue to be offered online or via telephone, including:
  • Kid-friendly pollinator activities, which include a scavenger hunt, crossword puzzle and Whose Home? interactive game.
  • The City’s Art Integration Collection in a digital art gallery on Flickr, which features the 78 art acquisitions by local and GTA-based artists housed permanently in the collection.
  • The Service Vaughan reporting tool at vaughan.ca/ServiceVaughan for non-emergency service requests about garbage, roads, traffic lights and more.
  • visitvaughan.ca – a new visitor website that offers an exploration of all there is to see and do in Vaughan. The “explore online now, visit later” platform, developed in partnership with the Tourism Vaughan Corporation and Central Counties Tourism, offers interactive content, including museum tours, cooking lessons, educational webinars, roller-coaster rides and more.  
LOOKING FOR MORE INFORMATION?
For more information, contact Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or accessvaughan@vaughan.ca. Residents can also visit:
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