Coronavirus crisis: How the emergency order affects Richmond Hill's services, major projects

#essentialservices Construction of municipal parks, buildings put on hold.

Yorkregion.com
April 22, 2020
Sheila Wang

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to upend life as we know it, the City of Richmond Hill has committed to providing essential services to the residents despite the closure of city facilities and working remotely.

The Liberal has put together a guide for Richmond Hill residents on how the pandemic has impacted the city services, major projects and important plans.

WHAT SERVICES ARE AFFECTED?

The city continues to deliver essential services such as fire and emergency services, roads maintenance and waste collection will continue to be delivered while non-essential staff are working from home.

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All city facilities and city park amenities are closed to the public until May 31. All library locations are closed until further notice.

If you are visiting a park or trail, please practice physical distancing. Do not use any park amenities or congregate in groups.

Bylaw officers are patrolling the city to ensure compliance. Those continuing to use closed park amenities and/or congregate in groups could receive a $750 ticket.

All city-run festivals and events are cancelled until June 30.

While all spring recreation and culture programs have been cancelled, the city has yet to make a decision on summer programs.

Meanwhile, the city now allows overnight parking on local streets without a permit and has suspended enforcement of the three-hour maximum on-street parking bylaw between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Residents can also park in school zones until schools are operational again.

WHAT PROJECTS ARE AFFECTED?

The city will continue to provide critical maintenance and repair of facilities, but non-essential work such as the construction of municipal parks and buildings have been put on hold, according to spokesperson Kathleen Graver.

The suspended projects included Ed Sackfield Arena expansion, David Hamilton Park redevelopment and noncritical facility rehabilitation work.

The city will continue to accept and process building permits, development applications and related site plan and subdivision agreements.

WHAT HAPPENS TO POLICY MAKING?

While councillors have been meeting electronically twice a week, the public has not been able to attend meetings in person due to the limiting of gatherings of more than five people.

City staff will investigate options for public consultation that do not involve gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, their spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the city continues to work remotely on the official plan review and comprehensive zoning bylaw review from a policy research and development perspective.

The city originally scheduled a consultation event for the update of the official plan on March 20 but postponed it until further notice due to the ongoing health crisis.

Residents can submit comments to OPUpdate@richmondhill.ca or call the city at 905-771-8910 to participate.

CAN I GET FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE CITY?

Council has approved a list of relief measures to help the community to mitigate the economic impact of the novel coronavirus that has infected thousands of Canadians.

The city has decided to waive the penalties and interest charges for late payments of taxes through Jan. 1, 2021 and defer the water/wastewater retail rate increase of 7.5 per cent to next year.

Meanwhile, the city is also waiving the late water bill payments until Jan. 1, as well as waiving the $45 fee for returned cheques for the rest of the year.

In an effort to support the business community that has been significantly affected by the pandemic, the city has suspended enforcement of noise bylaws to allow after-hour delivery of supplies to retailers.

Local business owners can find the city’s resources available online to navigate the challenges.

HOW DO I CONTACT THE CITY?

While in-person services at the municipal offices are not available, residents can reach staff by email at access@richmondhill.ca or by phone at 905-771-8800.

We continue to monitor this situation as it evolves. Residents are encouraged to visit RichmondHill.ca/COVID19 for information on city services, programs and events and subscribe for updates or follow us on Twitter @myRichmondHill.