Reopening Vaughan

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Reopening Vaughan

Updated: Monday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m.

Vaughan's current status:

York Region, including Vaughan, is currently in 'Red-Control,' according to the new framework.

Control (stringent measures) – red

Broader-scale measures and restrictions across multiple sectors to control transmission (return to modified Stage 2). Restrictions are the most severe available before widescale business or organizational closure. Learn about the Ontario public health measures for control (red).

Read the province's latest news release on the new framework.

General Safety measures for all York Region residents:

Physical distancing to be maintained for all events and gatherings with individuals outside of one’s household
Workplaces are required to screen
Face coverings are required in all public spaces (with limited exemptions) including indoor workplaces
Worker protections, such as personal protective equipment (PPE) including masks and eye protection, are required where patrons without face coverings are within 2 metres of workers (indoors and in the absence of a Plexiglas or some other impermeable barrier)
Advice to restrict non-essential travel from areas of high transmission to areas of low transmission

York Region Public Health is also asking residents to follow this advice:

Stay home as much as possible and limit close contact to those in your immediate household
Practise physical distancing with anyone outside of your household by staying two metres away from everyone else
Wash your hands thoroughly and often
Practise respiratory etiquette
Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands
Wear a face mask or covering when inside public places and when physical distancing cannot be maintained
Clean high-touch surfaces often
Download the COVID-Alert app

What this means for York Region businesses:

Under the Red-Control Zone, most businesses are permitted to remain open with further restriction in place. Examples include:

Gathering limits for events and private social gatherings are 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors
Maximum number of patrons permitted to be seated indoors at restaurants and bars is limited to 10
Gyms and fitness studies are permitted to open with a maximum of 10 people for indoor classes, a maximum of 25 people for outdoor classes and a maximum of 10 people indoors for the areas with weights or exercise equipment
No games, scrimmages or practices are permitted for team sports
Cinemas are closed with the exception of drive-in cinemas
Performing arts facilities are closed to spectators
Casinos, bingo halls and gaming establishments are permitted to be open with a limit of 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors
Personal care services requiring removal of face coverings are prohibited

Visit york.ca/COVID19 for more information.

A disciplined, responsible and measured approach

The City of Vaughan continues to work with all levels of government to implement precautionary measures to ensure public safety in response to COVID-19.

As a result, all City fitness centres remain closed. In-person fitness classes are cancelled. However, virtual fitness classes are available via Zoom and YouTube. Fitness memberships will be put on hold and extended for the duration of the closure. All indoor City pools remain open. Pool and aquafitness plan holders can reactivate their pool or aquafitness plan and no longer have to pay the single-visit fee at the point of online registration. Fitness members may request the reactivation of their fitness membership to use strictly for swimming and aquafitness. Aquafitness, recreational and length swimming are available to pool and Vaughan Fitness members who keep their membership on hold, as well as the general public, for a single-visit fee of $3.25 (plus HST). Pre-registration online is required and available up to two weeks in advance of a timeslot. For details or registration, visit vaughan.ca/swim.

Arenas will also remain open by permit only, however, the number of people on the ice at one time will be limited to 10 with no spectators. Team sports will be limited to training sessions only – no games and scrimmages.

To avoid further closures and remain vigilant in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19 transmissions, enforcement and education efforts have been increased across the City. Greater attention and a more assertive, proactive approach to enforcement are underway. Public complaints, concerns and inquiries should be reported to Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281 .

ESSENTIAL SERVICES
Essential services remain intact, including fire and emergency response, waste collection, water/wastewater services, by-law and enforcement services, 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
City Playhouse Theatre
Community centres (with the exception of arenas by permit only and select pools)
Fitness centres including in-person fitness classes
Joint Operations Centre
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 with additional protocols: number of people on the ice at one time will be 10 with no spectators)
Indoor pools (aquafitness, recreational and length swimming is available by registration 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 adjacent to synthetic soccer fields (open until Nov. 30, but subject to close earlier due to weather conditions)
Picnic tables and gazebos
Playgrounds
Premium/artificial fields and diamonds (open until Nov. 30 by permit only, but subject to close earlier due to weather conditions)
Skateboard parks
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)

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.

EVENTS

Some events are resuming virtually, including Vaughan Celebrates Concerts in the Park, the Volunteer Recognition Awards Ceremony and the the Vaughan Accessibility Champion Awards – citizens can tune in to the broadcast at vaughan.ca/live.

tvaughan.ca/HaveYourSay to learn more.

RECREATION SERVICES

As an alternative to in-person recreational programs, enhanced virtual offerings are underway to keep kids active, engaged, educated and entertained from the safety of home. City instructors are livestreaming popular recreational programs remotely via Zoom, including STEM, French, chess, dance, sports and leadership/volunteerism. A series of educational and music programs are also available for individuals with special needs.

Frequent enhancements are also made to the Recreation Services webpage featuring virtual 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.
general activities such as cooking, arts and crafts, colouring and more.
family-friendly online Halloween-themed resources including colouring sheets, mask templates and Vaughan Playhouse worksheets.

VAUGHAN PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Although all in-library programs remain cancelled until January 2021, VPL’s 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. Additional 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 – and the Curbside Pickup program will also continue to operate out of the remaining closed branches to provide customers with quick and convenient access. Reserve books and arrange a pick-up date at vaughanpl.info/curbside.

WASTE SERVICES

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 Access Vaughan at 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 and exchange a broken City bin by calling Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281.

The Public Works department has also launched a pilot project using Quick Response (QR) Codes to alert staff about full garbage cans in City parks. Residents can scan the code found on the garbage can using their smartphone to notify City staff when it is full and needs to be emptied. Regular waste collection of these bins will continue, but the codes allow residents to alert the City when additional cleaning is required. These bins – which are being piloted in select parks –have smaller openings that help deter animals from getting inside as well as illegal household dumping.

COUNCIL MEETINGS

Electronic-participation Committee of the Whole and Council meetings are continuing. 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 speaking live to Council 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.

PLANNING AND GROWTH MANAGEMENT

The City’s Building Standards department has 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.

The City’s Development Planning and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) teams have innovated their processes to ensure planning approvals and shovel-ready projects can move forward during the pandemic. These include digital new development applications, electronic-participation Pre-Application Consultations and virtual Heritage Vaughan and Design Review Panel meetings. The VMC Parks and Wayfinding Master Plan is also underway – citizens can get involved by providing feedback on an open spaces, parks and navigation strategy for the downtown core. Take the survey until Monday, Nov. 30 at vaughan.ca/VMCParks.

BY-LAW AND COMPLIANCE, ENFORCEMENT SERVICES

Online payments of administrative monetary penalties, such as parking tickets, can be made 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. At the time of call, individuals will be asked their preferred option for a screening – phone or online. If an online screening is requested, an online form will be sent via email. Once completed, the Screenings Officer will review the information and inform the resident of the decision via email, in addition to any applicable next steps.

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. Additional information and eligibility requirements are available on the City’s website. For all other permitting inquiries, including for special event, filming and lottery, contact 905-832-2281 or accessvaughan@vaughan.ca.

VAUGHAN ANIMAL SERVICES

While the Vaughan Animal Services shelter remains closed, residents can purchase pet tags and licenses online. For individuals interested in adoption or pet recovery services, contact 905-832-2281 or animal.services@vaughan.ca to book an appointment.

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 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 cansubscribe 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 business community and talks to leaders who are pivoting, innovating and doing what it takes to make it through to the other side of the pandemic.

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 a Whose Home? interactive game.
the City’s Art Integration Collection in a digital art gallery on Flickr, which features the 77 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:

vaughan.ca/ReopeningVaughan for a complete list of what’s reopened in the city.
vaughan.ca/CityUpdate to sign up for the City’s eNewsletter and receive news as it is released.
the City’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels to stay up to date on the latest news.
york.ca/COVID19 for COVID-19-related resources, online tools and more information from York Region Public Health.
ontario.ca/COVID19 for news and updates on provincial public health measures.

Contact Information

Telehealth Ontario
Call if you develop symptoms.
Phone: 1-866-797-0000

York Region Public Health
Phone: 1-800-361-5653

City-related matters
Phone: 905-832-2281

For media requests, contact:
corpcomm@vaughan.ca

Location:
Vaughan City Hall, Level 200
2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.
Vaughan, ON L6A 1T1

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