COVID-19 Update: City Services Affected by New Provincial Restrictions

As COVID-19 cases across Ontario continue to rise at an alarming rate, the Province has implemented additional restrictions in an effort to slow the spread and relieve mounting pressures on the province’s health care system. The state of emergency and province-wide Stay-at-Home Order that were put in place on April 8 have been extended an additional two weeks, for a total of six weeks.

“Our fight against COVID-19 has been a long and difficult one. I know we are all longing for a return to normal, especially as the weather once again warms up. We all want to get back to spending quality in-person time with our loved ones. But the situation in our province is dire and we need to pay attention. As a result, we're closing certain municipal facilities to be consistent with provincial requirements and to keep you safe," said Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger. "I implore you – please stay home. Please keep up the fight. Please don’t give up now. Every single one of us has such an important role to play in protecting our neighbours, friends and families."

The City has and will continue to take time to thoroughly review the provincial guidelines in respect to the enhanced provincial restrictions to ensure the information we are sharing with our community is accurate and up to date. Further information may be released in the coming days and week, as we assess the regulations and the need to respond across our geographically large community.

Effective Saturday, April 17, the following changes to municipal services are in effect:

Outdoor recreational amenities are temporarily closed to the public under the Province’s emergency orders, including:
• skateboard and BMX parks
• play fields including soccer and baseball fields
• sports courts including basketball, tennis and pickleball courts
• other park amenities including park outdoor fitness equipment, picnic sites and picnic tables.

The City will monitor the use of these spaces while staff continue to post appropriate signage.

Playgrounds, off-leash dog parks, the Bell Park Boardwalk and other trails and open spaces remain open. Users must maintain a distance of two metres from people who are not part of their household. A mask or face covering is recommended when physical distancing is a challenge. Benches, waste bins, gates, handrails and other surfaces are not sanitized.

The following is a reminder of the list of municipal service changes currently in place from the provincial Stay-at-Home order issued on April 8, 2021:

Indoor Recreation Facilities
All municipal pools, arenas and fitness centres remain closed.

Libraries and Citizen Service Centres
All Libraries and Citizen Service Centres remain open for contactless curbside pickup. All returned materials will be disinfected or quarantined for an appropriate period of time before being recirculated. Library programs continue to be offered online.

Residents who require Citizen Service Centre services can contact the facility directly to discuss options, as many services are available online or via telephone. Residents should avoid all non-essential visits to Libraries and Citizen Service Centres.

For more information, including branch-specific hours of operation, programming and to book materials for pickup, visit www.sudburylibraries.ca/covid-19-update.

Tom Davies Square
Services at Tom Davies Square are available by appointment only. Residents should contact 311 by phone or Live Web Chat (311.greatersudbury.ca) to make an appointment or discuss alternate service. Please avoid all non-essential visits to the facility. Many services are available by telephone or online at www.greatersudbury.ca/eservices.

The Homelessness Network Day Centre, located at 199 Larch St., is unaffected by these service changes.

Garbage and Recycling
The service counter at the Recycling Centre remains closed and sale of Big Blues, kitchen collectors and backyard composters is temporarily suspended. For information on ordering blue boxes, green carts or bag tags, use the Waste Wise app, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/wastewise or contact 311 by phone or Live Web Chat (311.greatersudbury.ca)

Household hazardous waste drop-off days are cancelled until the stay-at-home order has been lifted. The Toxic Taxi will continue to operate for contactless home collection of residential household hazardous waste. To make an appointment, residents can email toxictaxi@greatersudbury.ca or call 705-560-9019.

Landfill sites remain open with limited capacity. Reuse centres at landfill sites are closed. Residents should be prepared for longer than usual wait times. The City has set up a live camera at the Sudbury landfill site so that residents can see how busy it is before they make the trip. The live feed is available at www.greatersudbury.ca/landfill-livestream.

GOVA Transit
The GOVA downtown Transit Hub waiting area is open to the public with a maximum capacity of 25 people. Riders are reminded to protect themselves and others by wearing a mask and maintaining a safe distance. GOVA Transit monitors and manages passenger capacity on its routes on a daily basis to deploy extra buses when necessary to support physical distancing.

Cemetery Services
City cemeteries remain open for visitation. Visitors must maintain a distance of two metres from others and limit gatherings to members of the same household. Indoor gatherings at the mausoleum are also limited to members of the same household. The mausoleum is open to the public daily from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. No appointment is required.

Both indoor and outdoor funerals and interment services may have a maximum of 10 attendees and physical distancing must be maintained. Masks are required for all guests and staff.

Plot purchases and arrangements for interments are available by contacting 311 by phone or Live Web Chat (311.greatersudbury.ca) or emailing cemeteries@greatersudbury.ca to schedule a telephone or video conference.

Reminders
• Indoor and outdoor organized events and social gatherings are not permitted, except with members of the same household. Families should not visit any other household or allow visitors in their homes. Those who live alone can have close contact with only one other household.
• Trips outside of the home should only be for essential reasons (work, groceries/pharmacy, health care, assisting vulnerable individuals or exercise and physical activity).
• Residents must wear a mask or face covering inside businesses or organizations. A mask or face covering is also recommended outdoors when physical distancing is a challenge.
• City By-Law Officers and contracted security will patrol the use of municipal spaces, and signage will be in place in the coming days, to remind users of rules.
• Travel outside the Greater Sudbury area should be for essential purposes only. Effective Monday, April 19, checkpoints are set up at interprovincial border to restrict land travel out of province to essential travel only.
• Continue to follow basic but important measures to prevent the spread of illness. Wash your hands often, wear a mask or face covering, cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your sleeve and stay home if you feel sick.
• The Province has introduced other new restrictions related to retail, non-essential construction, religious ceremonies, and interprovincial travel. For details, visit www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-response-framework-keeping-ontario-safe-and-open#grey.

Important Information about 311
In order to allow Public Health Sudbury & Districts to focus their efforts on COVID-19 contact-tracing, health-related inquiries and vaccine planning and implementation, residents are encouraged to contact 311 by phone or Live Web Chat (311.greatersudbury.ca) for:
• People not self-isolating after international travel.
• Organized events and social gatherings that exceed what’s permitted by the Province.
• Questions about provincial rules and regulations or effects on City programs and services.
• Public use of closed municipal facilities.
• Complaints about non-compliance of businesses or services, as mandated under the Grey – Lockdown category.

The enforcement of COVID-19 legislation is a joint initiative by City By-law Officers, Public Health Sudbury & Districts and the Greater Sudbury Police Service. 311 representatives will log your complaint, and direct it to the appropriate party based on time of day, and severity and type of issue.

For COVID-19 updates and information related to City services, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/covid or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

For the most up-to-date local information on COVID-19, visit the Public Health Sudbury & Districts website at www.phsd.ca/coronavirus.