East Gwillimbury ends state of emergency in relation to COVID-19

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 4, 2021

East Gwillimbury is ending its state of emergency Oct. 3. The state of emergency was initially enacted on March 19, 2020 to ensure the town has the flexibility to quickly respond to the COVID-19 health and economic emergency and provide support to our residents and businesses where needed.

The state of emergency provided for rapid procurement capability, the ability for the mayor to provide direction independently, and to meet potential eligibility requirements for federal and provincial funding. The ability to make decisions independently was not exercised by the mayor; all procurement continued to abide by the town’s procurement bylaw and the status has not been a requirement for funding. As such, the status will be terminated.

Beginning October 4, in conjunction with the termination of the emergency order, members of the public will have non-scheduled access to the customer service area located inside of the Civic Centre. Residents will be able to complete payments, drop off or pick up items and schedule appointments with town staff.

“It’s been more than 18 months since we implemented the State of Emergency for East Gwillimbury,” said Mayor Hackson. “While we continue to monitor and abide by all of the public health and safety measures, we determined that the state of emergency status is no longer required. We will continue to be vigilant about ensuring our facilities and amenities are safe for staff and the public.”