sized.jpg;w=660)
The City of Greater Sudbury has announced a number of changes to municipal services as the area moves into the Red-Control category of the COVID-19 response framework as of Monday, March 8.
The city, in consultation with Public Health Sudbury & Districts, will implement additional closures of municipal services and facilities, over and above provincial Red – Control restrictions, to help reduce opportunities for virus transmission in the community.
Staff in the closed service areas will be redeployed wherever possible, including to support Public Health community vaccinations.
“Our recent numbers are very alarming,” said Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger, in a press release.
“We have all worked too long and too hard to become complacent now. I cannot stress enough the message that we all need to stay home and leave only for essential purposes. This is why we are doing everything we can to eliminate opportunities for this virus to spread, and in consultation with Dr. Penny Sutcliffe are implementing the additional closures of municipal services and facilities. We will continue to work closely with Public Health to determine whether other changes are required to help protect every single one of our residents.”
As of Monday, March 8, the following closures and measures will be in effect for municipal facilities. These will remain in place until the Province moves Greater Sudbury into an Orange – Restrict or less restrictive category of the COVID-19 response framework.
Indoor Recreation Facilities
All indoor municipal recreation facilities are closed. This includes:
• Pools
• Arenas
• Fitness Centres
Residents who have registered for programs or have booked ice time will be contacted directly to discuss refunds and other details.
Outdoor Recreation Facilities
Outdoor neighbourhood rinks are open, with limited capacity. Queen’s Athletic Skating Oval and the Ramsey Lake Skating Path are open, but hours of operation may change without notice due to fluctuations in temperatures. Visit www.greatersudbury.ca/outdoorrinks for updates.
Field houses remain closed. Residents should be prepared to change in and out of 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.
Ski Hills
Adanac and Lively Ski Hills remain open with operations 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 is 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.
• 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 and ski hill conditions, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/play/ski-hills.
Libraries and Citizen Service Centres
All Libraries and Citizen Service Centres will remain open for contactless curbside pickup. All returned materials will be disinfected or quarantined for an appropriate period of time before being recirculated.
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 and to book materials for pickup, visit www.sudburylibraries.ca/covid-19-update.
Tom Davies Square
Tom Davies Square will remain 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 household hazardous waste drop-off day scheduled for Saturday, March 13 has been cancelled. The Toxic Taxi will continue to operate for home collection of residential household hazardous waste. To make an appointment for home collection, residents can email [email protected] or call 705-560-9019.
The service counter at the Recycling Centre will be closed and the sale of Big Blues, kitchen collectors and backyard composters will be temporarily suspended. Blue boxes and green carts can be ordered for home delivery via the Waste Wise app, online at www.greatersudbury.ca/wastewise or by calling 311 Please allow up to two weeks for delivery. Bag tags can be ordered online or purchased at participating retail stores. For more information, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/bagtags.
Landfill sites remain open. In order to maintain physical distancing, only four to six vehicles will be permitted onsite at a time at all sites. Residential roadside waste collection vehicles and commercial waste haulers will be provided priority access. 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. Check out the live feed at www.greatersudbury.ca/landfill-livestream.
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 according to weather conditions. 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.
Reminders
• Limit close contact to the people you live with and stay at least two metres away from everyone else. 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, school, groceries/pharmacy, health care, assisting vulnerable individuals or exercise and physical activity).
• Organized public events and social gatherings, where physical distancing can be maintained, are limited to five people indoors and 25 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 in place for other facilities and services, including retail, dining, sports and fitness facilities, and personal care services. Visit www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-response-framework-keeping-ontario-safe-and-open#red for more information.
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.
• Complaints about non-compliance of businesses or services, as mandated under the Red – Restrict 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 the city 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.
