Vaughan to keep most City facilities closed until January 2021: Mayor Bevilacqua

Aug. 5, 2020 10:00 a.m.
City-building continues as Vaughan takes disciplined approach to COVID-19
 
Today, Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua has announced most City facilities – including Vaughan City Hall and the Joint Operations Centre – will remain closed to the public until Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, at the earliest, in response to COVID-19.
 
Since the beginning of the pandemic, when Vaughan became the first city in Ontario and the first municipality in York Region to declare a state of emergency, the City has taken a disciplined, responsible and measured approach to closing – and gradually reopening – City facilities and amenities. Today’s decision to keep select facilities closed marks the latest step to protect the health and safety of citizens and staff.
 
City-building has not slowed down in Vaughan despite the closures though, and essential services continue – from fire and emergency response and waste collection, to by-law and enforcement services and the Access Vaughan contact centre at 905-832-2281 or accessvaughan@vaughan.ca. In other cases, City staff pivoted quickly to offer programs and services online or via telephone.
 
ONLINE PERMITTING
A digital permitting portal was launched at vaughan.ca/PermitPortal for citizens and building industry professionals to apply, track and pay for permits online. Options were expanded to include permits for pools and grading for sheds, home additions and more. In total, 1,668 permits valued at more than $543 million were issued from Jan. 1 to July 31, 2020. In addition, more than 29,501 inspections have also taken place over the past seven months, which well exceeds the number of inspections for 2019, 2018 and 2017 during that same period. For Building Standards, inspections have not been interrupted by COVID-19. Since the state of emergency was declared, the team has performed 18,208 inspections and issued 1,070  permits.
 
BUSINESS SERVICES
The City’s Economic and Cultural Development team is available to help businesses access support provided by the Government of Canada and stakeholder organizations. They also continue to offer advisory consultations for business via tele- or video-conference – with more than 1,700 conducted to date – as well as hosting informative webinars, and recently launching a new website.
 
Other new virtual services to further support local businesses include the Open for Business online directory, which lists essential services and businesses that are open. Vaughan businesses can apply through an online form to be included in the initiative led by By-law and Compliance, Licensing and Permit Services. The City also launched the #ShopVaughanLocal campaign to encourage residents to support the local economy by shopping at local businesses and restaurants.
 
WASTE COLLECTION
In the early days of the pandemic response, waste collection services were expanded to assist residents who were generating more garbage as a result of spending more time at home. To further assist, a temporary bin exchange program got off the ground recently to replace broken City blue boxes and green bins through home delivery. Residents also can receive customized notifications about their collections by downloading the Recycle Coach mobile app, purchase garbage tags over the phone, and receive one-on-one coaching with the Waste-less Virtual Visits program on how to divert more materials into blue and green bins.
 
SUMMER CAMPS
The City’s modified on-site summer camp programs for kids are underway until Friday, Sept. 4. All camps are operating under strict York Region Public Health guidelines. Learn more about safety protocols, programming and more at vaughan.ca/RecOnline. Registration is still open for the Virtual Summer Adventures program, which features weekly camps and daily activities for people of all ages, from preschool to older adults. Family lessons for parents and children to participate in together are available as well.
 
FITNESS AND RECREATION
Fitness centres will reopen as of Monday, Aug. 10 on a limited basis. Strict measures will be in place to protect all users and staff from the transmission of this virus, including the requirement to register in advance. Due to restrictions placed on facilities where summer camps are held, fitness centres – with the exception of Father E. Bulfon Community Centre – will be open Monday to Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Father E. Bulfon Community Centre will be open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. City squash courts will also reopen on Monday, Aug. 10.
 
Recreation Services is also offering a range of virtual recreation resources for all ages, abilities and areas of interest. This includes virtual fitness classes, which will continue to be posted on the Recreation Services YouTube channel. A plan for in-person fitness classes is currently being developed for both indoors and outdoors.
 
Other popular online programming includes Vaughan Playschool educational reading, writing, math and science worksheets for children aged three to five years old; acting, dancing and singing with the City Playhouse Theatre crew; learning first-aid basics from certified Vaughan lifeguards; and general activities such as cooking, arts and crafts, colouring and more. 
 
VAUGHAN PUBLIC LIBRARIES
Vaughan Public Libraries (VPL) is offering a fully digital public library service to engage and educate residents of all ages. The new 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 storytime, is available daily on VPL’s Instagram. 
 
VPL’s Wi-Fi has also been extended to reach the parking lot at the Civic Centre Resource Library, Pierre Berton Resource Library and Bathurst Clark Resource Library branches. And the Curbside Pickup program has also been extended to every library to provide customers with quick and convenient access.
 
PUBLIC CONSULTATION
Public consultation remains an important part of the planning and city-building process. While Vaughan City Hall remains closed, the City has provided many ways for citizens to participate in electronic-participation Committee of the Whole and Council meetings. Citizens can make a live deputation via teleconference or telephone, or submit a written communication.
 
As well, project-specific engagement continues on a variety of topics. For instance, the City’s first-ever virtual Public Information Session was held in July to get feedback on the proposed design option for the Carrville Community Centre, Library and District Park. The City is also asking for input on a number of other initiatives with several surveys and engagement opportunities underway.
 
DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
The Development Planning and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Program teams have innovated their processes to ensure planning approvals can proceed and enable “shovel ready” projects. New development applications are being received electronically, and electronic-participation Pre-Application Consultation (PAC), Heritage Vaughan and Design Review Panel meetings are being held. As well, several projects are underway that will guide development for intensification areas, including the Vaughan Mills Centre and the Yonge Steeles Corridor, with a focus on safety, active transportation and sustainability. Work on the Maple and Kleinburg Nashville Heritage Conservation District Plan Reviews continues and a heritage inventory update is underway.
 
EVENTS
While in-person events have been put on hold, the fun has not stopped. The City’s first-ever virtual Canada Day celebration, presented by Greenpark Group, was held on Wednesday, July 1 with the JUNO award-winning and Grammy-nominated group Barenaked Ladies headlining the festivities. Plans for future events, including Culture Days, are in the works.
 
BY-LAW 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 at PayVaughanTicket.com. Citizens can arrange an alternative method of payment or schedule a dispute appointment by calling Access Vaughan, and scheduled disputes are being conducted over the phone.
 
As businesses continue to reopen in Vaughan, restaurants and banquet halls are welcoming customers back to their patios. Establishments looking to create a patio or expand their current patio to accommodate physical distancing requirements must apply for a permit. Businesses can begin the process to do this by completing an application form (PDF) and emailing it to bylaw.licensing@vaughan.ca. To date, 90 licensed patios have been approved.
 
VAUGHAN ANIMAL SERVICES
Vaughan Animal Services continues to serve Vaughan, Richmond Hill and the Township of King communities. Access into the Vaughan Animal Services shelter is limited and permitted for adoption and pet recovery services by appointment only. Vaughan pet licensing is available online with lots of information on pets and wildlife available at vaughan.ca/AnimalServices.
 
TOURISM AND CULTURE
A new visitor website was launched with “explore online now, visit later” options. Developed in partnership with the Tourism Vaughan Corporation and Central Counties Tourism, the platform offers interactive content, including museum tours, cooking lessons, educational webinars, roller-coaster rides and more. For art lovers, a new online corporate art gallery on Flickr features several collections that can be enjoyed from the safety of home.  
 
PARK AMENITIES
The following outdoor facilities have reopened in Vaughan: basketball courts; benches; bocce courts; off-leash dog park; outdoor exercise equipment; parking lots; picnic tables and gazebos; playgrounds; premium/artificial fields and diamonds (by permit); skateboard parks; splashpads; sports fields and baseball diamonds; tennis courts; trails; and washrooms.
 
The decision to reopen facilities is informed by a risk model developed by the City with public safety always being the priority. The risk model uses Vaughan-specific data and reflects guidance issued by York Region Public Health and the provincial government.
 
When visiting recently reopened amenities, citizens must follow all health and safety protocols, including maintaining physical distancing and frequently washing hands before and after park visits. Playgrounds are not sanitized.
 
QUOTE
 
“From the onset of our battle with COVID-19, the City of Vaughan has continued to use every tool in its arsenal to combat the virus. We have maintained a disciplined, responsible and measured approach to closing facilities and re-thinking our traditional modes of operation. We continue to employ these methods towards our reopening process. Our priority is the health and well-being of our citizens. Today, I am announcing that most of Vaughan’s public facilities, including City Hall, will remain closed until Monday, Jan. 4, 2021 and potentially beyond. This decision was given careful consideration. I am confident it is the right one. This experience has taught us that by being flexible, innovative and focused, success can be achieved in our fight against COVID-19. I want to express my sincere gratitude to the citizens of Vaughan for their meaningful contribution and for doing their part to ensure we emerge stronger, together.” 
- Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua
 
QUICK FACTS
  • On Saturday, March 14, the City closed all community centres and library branches in response to COVID-19. The closure also extended to events, all community centre permits/rentals, recreational programming, swimming pools, arenas and fitness facilities as well as the City Playhouse Theatre.
  • On Tuesday, March 17, Mayor Bevilacqua formally declared a state of emergency in Vaughan, making it the first city in Ontario to do so. The state of emergency remains in place.
  • Effective Wednesday, March 18, Vaughan City Hall and all remaining City facilities closed to the public.
  • On Saturday, March 21, the City advised members of the public to avoid any public playgrounds and other high-touch surfaces in parks as they are not sanitized. Signs were installed in all parks with playgrounds throughout the community directing residents to stay off the equipment. 
  • On Wednesday, March 25, the City closed all remaining facilities within City parks to the public as a further precautionary measure. In addition to the playground closures a few days earlier, this included sports fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, the dog park and any other amenities.
  • On Thursday, May 14, Mayor Bevilacqua announced the City had chosen to keep park facilities closed to keep the community safe and healthy despite the provincial government allowing for some facilities to reopen.
  • On Friday, June 12, the City reopened public tennis courts, skateboard parks, the dog park and parking lots.
  • On Friday, June 19, the City reopened a number of additional park facilities, including picnic tables, benches, soccer fields and ball diamonds (excluding premium and artificial), and basketball and bocce courts.
  • On Friday, June 26, the City reopened splashpads and public washrooms.
  • On Friday, July 24, playgrounds reopened in Vaughan.
  • On Monday, Aug. 10, fitness centres will reopen on a limited basis. City squash courts will also reopen that day. 
LEARN MORE 
 
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