COVID-19 Update from the City of Greater Sudbury: Thursday, March 19, 2020

Mar 19, 2020

COVID-19 Update from the City of Greater Sudbury: Thursday, March 19, 2020

The City of Greater Sudbury, with guidance from Public Health Sudbury & Districts, is taking additional steps to limit the potential spread of COVID-19 in the community, while maintaining services that are essential to residents and businesses. 

The following changes will be in effect beginning Friday, March 20, 2020, and will remain in place until April 5, 2020. The City is closely monitoring local COVID-19 developments and will re-evaluate City service and program changes as needed.

Tom Davies Square/199 Larch St. Building
Tom Davies Square and the 199 Larch St. building will be temporarily closed to the public as of 4:30 p.m. on March 19. 

Access to the following essential services will be available by appointment only:
•    Ontario Works
•    Housing Registry
•    Building Services, including permits 
•    Planning Services, including rezoning applications
•    By-law Services, including business and lottery licences

To schedule an appointment, or for more information, call 311. Residents attending Tom Davies Square and 199 Larch St. for appointments will be screened, as per Health Unit guidelines.  

Gova Transit
As of Friday, March 20, 2020, to encourage public health social distancing guidelines, the following temporary steps will be implemented on Gova Transit: 
•    Riders must board and exit buses through the rear doors only. Anyone with accessibility needs can still use the front doors.
•    Bus fares are being temporarily waived, as fare box locations are not favourable to social distancing guidelines. 
•    The front seats of each bus have been blocked off to maintain required space around the operator. Riders are asked to stay behind the yellow line at the front of the bus to ensure proper social distancing. 
 
Tax Payments
Late payments for the April 2, 2020, tax due date will not attract interest or late payment penalties until June 4, 2020.

Other Changes
•    The service counter at the Recycling Centre at 1825 Frobisher St. is closed. Please use the online services at www.greatersudbury.ca/eservices.
•    Residents are encouraged to use credit or debit at Landfills, and limit cash payments. 
•    Applications for firefighter recruitment will close, as scheduled, on March 20 at 4:30 p.m. Candidate testing will be postponed. Successful applicants will be contacted via email regarding next steps. 
•    The Animal Shelter will accept visits by appointment only. Please call the Shelter at 705-694-PETS or email cgs.shelter@greatersudbury.ca. Animal licences and tags are available online at www.greatersudbury.ca/live/animal-services-and-wildlife/animal-licences-and-tags/
•    The Finance and Administration Committee, and Audit Committee meetings scheduled for March 23, 2020, have been postponed. 

Online services
Many City services are available online or over the phone, including: 
•    Ordering garbage bag tags, blue boxes and green carts
•    Payment of parking tickets    
•    Purchase of animal tags

Visit www.greatersudbury.ca for a full list of online services or call 311 to learn more about your options.

For up-to-date information and details on service changes, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/COVID.

Quotes: 

“This has been a long week for everybody, but we have an amazing team who are all working together for the greater good of our community. I am impressed with how residents are adapting and also assisting each other. Hearing stories of caremongering and neighbours helping neighbours. This is a crisis and our residents are showing their true colours. These new measures announced today will help ease transportation for those getting around, will ensure the safety of our employees who are vital to the ongoing operations of Greater Sudbury and ideally alleviate a little bit of economic worry by delaying tax collection. We’re all in this together, let’s stay strong.”

-    Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger

“This situation requires constant assessment and real-time analysis. The health and safety of our employees and the community we serve always comes first. These changes help ensure we are protecting everyone while balancing the need for essential City services. I thank my staff and local health partners who have been working around the clock to ensure we are informed, prepared and responding thoughtfully to this evolving issue.”

-    Ed Archer, City of Greater Sudbury Chief Administrative Officer 

“As President of CUPE 4705, I am pleased with the decision made by the City of Greater Sudbury today. I am happy to see the City worked with the union and made proactive changes for the health and safety of our members at Tom Davis Square and our transit operators. We thank the Mayor, Council and executive leadership team for making these needed changes. We look forward to continuing to work with the employer on other matters relating to the health and safety of our members throughout the City of Greater Sudbury.”

-    Mike Bellerose, President, CUPE Local 4705