As the impact of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) evolves, the Municipality continues to assess operations and is implementing additional measures, where required, to protect the health and well-being of the community.
Organizational Preparedness The Municipality’s senior leadership team continues to carefully monitor developments on COVID-19, including regular updates from Ontario Health and local health partners. The team is meeting regularly to review business continuity practices and ensure preparedness. Residents can expect regular updates from the Municipality at porthope.ca/COVID-19, as the situation develops.
Scheduled Meetings At this time, the Council and Committee of the Whole Meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17 are proceeding as scheduled. However, in keeping with the Government’s goal to slow the spread of COVID-19 by way of social distancing, residents are discouraged from attending the meetings in person.
If you do plan to attend the meetings, please use the hand sanitizer provided inside the council chambers upon entering the room. Additional cleaning of touch surfaces has been implemented, but attendees are reminded to use proper cough/sneeze etiquette and handwashing techniques while in the building.
Seating in the Council Chambers will be limited and adjusted to uphold the minimum distance recommended by the Government of Canada.
Videos of the meetings will be posted online on the Council Communications webpage by the end of the day on Wednesday, March 18. Residents with questions for Council relating to agenda items or other municipal business may email Councillors prior to the meeting. Emails will be addressed during questions period or by way of return correspondence. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we all do our part to slow the spread of the virus.
Please note that all Advisory Committee meetings have been cancelled until further notice.
Municipal staff update While there is no indication that there are any presumptive or confirmed cases of the virus in the Municipal staff community at this time, we endeavour to do whatever we can to maintain that status. Our goal is to sustain a safe environment for our employees while ensuring the essential requirements of business continuity are in place.
We have instructed all staff members to carefully monitor their health, watching for symptoms of illness and to stay home from work if they are sick.
We have also advised all staff who have travelled internationally in recent weeks to self-isolate for 15–days, in keeping with the guidelines set out by the Government of Canada Travel Advisory.
Facility closures and interruption to service Many of our facilities remain closed until further notice.
These include:
• Jack Burger Sports Complex
• Town Park Recreation Centre
• Ruth Clarke Activity Centre for Seniors
• Port Hope Public Library (both branches)
• Port Hope Community Hub
• Marketing and Tourism Office (20 Queen Street)
All programs, camps, activities, and facility rentals that are scheduled to take place in these facilities have been cancelled. Full refunds will be issued to patrons.
Transit Municipal transit, including our ROLLS service, is still operating. Enhanced cleaning measures have been implemented on all vehicles.
We appreciate your support and patience during this time of unprecedented change. As always, we urge residents to rely on credible sources for information so that we can dispel social media myths and maintain a sense of calm. Some helpful links include:
• Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit: www.hkpr.on.ca/featured_posts/novel-coronavirus/
• The Ontario Ministry of Health: www.ontario.ca/coronavirus
• Public Health Agency of Canada: www.canada.ca/coronavirus
• 211: 211.ca
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
