COVID-19 Update: Reopening of City Services

The Province announced today that its stay at home order will end for a number of municipalities, including Greater Sudbury, on Tuesday, February 16. Based on the current local situation, Greater Sudbury will enter the Orange-Restrict stage of the Province’s COVID-19 response framework.

“I want to thank everyone in our community for continuing to do their part in the fight against COVID-19,” said Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger. “The end of the provincial stay at home order is welcome news, but it also doesn’t mean a return to normal – far from it. With 10 active outbreaks over the past week, and three confirmed cases of the new UK variant, COVID-19 is still very much a threat. Please continue to make safe, smart choices. Limit contact to those in your household, keep your distance from others, wear your mask and stay home when you can. I know it’s challenging, but we can do this by all doing our part.”

Here’s what today’s announcement means for City programs and services:

Ski Hills

Both Adanac and Lively Ski Hills will reopen to the public on Wednesday, February 17. Adanac will open at noon and Lively will open at 6 p.m. Operations have been adapted in response to COVID-19.

• Patrons must book their tickets before arriving at the hill, as day tickets will not be available onsite. Those with memberships or punch cards are also required to book ahead. Booking can be done online at www.greatersudbury.ca/leisure.
• Anyone who experiences technical difficulties when booking can call the ski hill directly at 705-688-3969 for Adanac or 705-692-5030 for Lively. Phone-in customers should anticipate longer wait times for assistance due to high call volumes.
• All patrons and staff must wear masks in all indoor spaces and face coverings while waiting in lift lines and when on the ski lifts.
• All patrons and staff must maintain appropriate physical distancing as indicated on onsite signage.
• The chalet will be available for washroom use only. There will be no food or beverages permitted in the chalet. Occupancy limits will be posted at the entrance of the chalet. If the chalet is at maximum capacity, you must not enter at that time.
• At this time, only members of the same household are permitted to ride the chair lift together. Lift attendants will not allow or ask patrons to ride a chairlift with individuals they do not know.For more information, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/play/ski-hills/frequently-asked-questions-covid-19. The website will be updated with any further operational changes, as required. For ski hill conditions, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/play/ski-hills.Other Outdoor Activities
Outdoor neighbourhood rinks are open, with limited capacity.Queen’s Athletic Skating Oval and the Ramsey Lake Skating Path are open. Due to fluctuations in temperatures, hours of operation may change without notice. Visit www.greatersudbury.ca/outdoorrinks for updates.

Field houses will remain closed. Residents should be prepared to change skates outside. Benches are available for use at these locations.

Dog parks are open. Other parks, playgrounds and open spaces are open for pass-through purposes but cannot be used for team games or sports. Benches, waste bins, gates, handrails and other surfaces are not sanitized.

The Jim Gordon Boardwalk (Bell Park), Delki Dozzi track and Fielding Memorial Park walking loop are open for winter walking opportunities.

When using any outdoor facility, 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.

Arenas
Under the Province’s new guidelines, arenas are permitted to open starting February 16. Staff are currently preparing the facilities for safe reopening and will contact user groups directly regarding scheduling and ice allocation. More information on exact opening dates will be provided next week.

Staff are currently reviewing and adjusting Ice Association and Adult Group contracts to reflect the end of the stay at home order. Revised agreements will be emailed to groups through the booking system. For users who paid for ice time from February 11 to 15, a credit will be applied to their account to use for future bookings.

A number of City facilities have been identified as locations for vaccination clinics, including four community arenas. Vaccinations are critical to our community's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and arenas are the ideal large, accessible spaces for these clinics. As a result, Carmichael and Dr. Edgar Leclair will not be available for public use at this time. Centennial and Countryside will only be available for public use until mid-March. Staff will work directly with user groups on a process to reallocate ice at other facilities.

For more information on arenas, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/play/arenas.

Pools and Fitness Centres
Beginning February 16, all municipal pools will be open for one-hour reservations, lane swimming, Aquafitness and Aquatherapy. Online registration will be available at www.greatersudbury.ca/play/pools beginning at noon on Saturday, February 13.

Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre, Dowling Leisure Centre, Rayside Balfour Workout Centre and Capreol Millenium Centre will open for one-hour fitness reservations beginning February 16. Falconbridge Community Centre will open for one-hour fitness reservations beginning February 22. Online registration will be available at www.greatersudbury.ca/play/recreational-facilities/fitness-centres beginning at noon on February 13.

GOVA Transit
GOVA Transit will continue to serve the community with current levels of service and enhanced safety measures in place. The GOVA downtown Transit Hub waiting area is open to the public with a maximum capacity of 25 people. Riders are encouraged to plan ahead for their trips and dress warm. They're also reminded to protect themselves and others by wearing a mask and maintaining a safe distance. To further support physical distancing, GOVA Transit monitors and manages passenger capacity on its routes on a daily basis to deploy extra buses when necessary.

Tom Davies Square
Tom Davies Square will be open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Public access is limited to the main floor, including the public washrooms. In order to minimize lineups, residents are encouraged to contact 311 by phone or Live Web Chat (311.greatersudbury.ca) to make an appointment or discuss alternate service options. Many services are available by telephone or online at www.greatersudbury.ca/eservices. Residents are reminded that Tom Davies Square and other municipal offices are closed for Family Day on Monday, February 15.

Libraries and Citizen Service Centres
Libraries and Citizen Service Centres will reopen for regular service beginning Friday, February 19. All returned materials will be disinfected or quarantined for an appropriate period of time before being recirculated. Library programs continue to be offered online at this time. Visit www.sudburylibraries.ca/covid-19-update for more information.

Residents who require assistance from a Citizen Service Centre, including the one at Tom Davies Square, are still encouraged to contact 311 by phone or Live Web Chat (311.greatersudbury.ca) or contact the facility directly to discuss options, as many services are available by telephone or online at www.greatersudbury.ca/eservices.

Garbage and Recycling
The front counter at the Recycling Centre will reopen on Tuesday, February 16. The counter will be open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to noon for purchase of backyard composters, kitchen collectors and Big Blues. Payment by credit or debit is encouraged.

The Recycling Centre will not be distributing blue boxes or exchanging damaged green carts. Residents are asked to place an order on the Waste Wise app, online at www.greatersudbury.ca/wastewise, or by contacting 311 by phone or Live Web Chat (311.greatersudbury.ca).

Animal Shelter
The Greater Sudbury Animal Shelter continues to accept visitors by appointment only. Please contact 311 to make arrangements.

Reminders
• Limit close contact to the people you live with and stay at least two metres away from everyone else. Those who live alone can have close contact with only one other household.
• Events and social gatherings in private homes, backyards and parks are limited to 10 people indoors or 25 people outdoors.
• Organized public events and gatherings in staffed businesses and facilities, such as event centres, are limited to 50 people indoors or 100 people outdoors.
• 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.
• Travel outside the Greater Sudbury area should be for essential purposes only. Anyone travelling outside of Ontario during the shutdown period should self-isolate for 14 days upon their return.
• 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 a number of rules for in-person shopping, indoor dining and sports and recreational facilities. Visit www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-response-framework-keeping-ontario-safe-and-open for more information.

311
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.

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 up-to-date information and details on service changes related to COVID-19, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/COVID.

For local COVID-19 information, visit www.phsd.ca/covid-19.