City of Vaughan closing libraries, rec centres due to staff shortages, Omicron spread

Toronto.Citynews.ca
Jan. 4, 2022
Dilshad Burman

As the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly, the City of Vaughan is responding by temporarily closing in-person recreational programming at community centres as well as all community libraries on Dec. 30.

The city says it is experiencing staff shortages due to the pandemic and fitness centres and swimming pools will also be closed as of Thursday.

Any memberships currently active will automatically be put on hold and refunds will be issued for recreational programs.

Outdoor amenities including skating rinks and the city’s snowshoe loaner program will operate as usual.

Virtual recreational and library programming will continue as scheduled. Curbside pickup will be available at libraries and the city’s three resource libraries -- Bathurst Clark, Civic Centre and Pierre Berton -- will stay open with all safety protocols in place.

In a release, the city says no decisions have been made yet on when in-person programming will resume and “will be dependent on Omicron data and staffing resources.”

Virtual programming via Zoom will be available starting Jan. 15 and include web development, coding, cooking and filmmaking, among other classes. Preregistration is required.

Essential services like fire, emergency response, waste collection and bylaw enforcement will not be interrupted.

“All decisions about closing and opening facilities and amenities continue to be informed by Vaughan-specific data and reflect guidance issued by York Region Public Health and the provincial government -- with public safety being the top priority,” they said in the release.