City announces service changes following second provincial stay at home order

Email icon Back to Search
parking garage

BRANTFORD, ON – Last week the Ontario government declared a second provincial emergency under section 7.0.1 of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMPCA).  A stay at home order came into effect Thursday, January 14, 2021, as well as enhanced authorities for enforcement personnel. Individuals and corporations who do not abide by orders under the EMCPA or the Reopening Ontario Act (ROA) can be fined. 

The provincial stay at home order  requires Ontarians to remain at home with exceptions for essential purposes, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services, for exercise or for work where the work cannot be done remotely.

Consistent with the extensions to the EMPCA and ROA, the City of Brantford has implemented modifications to City programs and services as follows:

Parking Enforcement

During the current stay at home order, the City will exercise a high level of discretion with respect to citizens parking their vehicles in excess of the current restriction of twenty-four (24) consecutive hours on City streets. All other on-street parking by-laws, including parking restrictions in the downtown core remain in effect.

To help curbside pickup activities and ensure turnover of on-street parking spots for winter maintenance in the downtown, the City will waive parking fees in the Market Centre Parkade for the month of January. Paid parking in City Lots #3 and #4 and on-street parking by-laws City-wide, including the downtown, are still in effect. Patrons are reminded to practice physical distancing by parking in alternating spots, when available. Parking enforcement in private lots registered with the City will continue to be enforced. 

Citizens are encouraged to help do their part during winter snow events by parking vehicles off the street to allow for snow clearing operations, enabling snow clearing equipment to have the space needed to service the roadways, sidewalks and bicycle lanes safely and effectively.

Harmony Square Skating Rink

Effective January 21, 2021 pre-registration is required to use the skating rink at Harmony Square in addition to the following measures:

  • Online registration will open each Wednesday beginning January 20th at 7:00am for the following days & week (Monday-Sunday) at brantford.ca/RecConnect or call 519-756-9900 ext. 5294.
  • Each time slot will be a 30-minute maximum and back-to-back time slots will not be permitted.
  • Each skater including parents on the ice will be required to register separately.
  • There will be a maximum of 10 people on the ice at all times. 
  • Daily registration for skate times will be cut-off at 8:00 a.m. Phone registrations must be completed one day in advance.
  • Drop-in skaters will be permitted on a first come first serve basis if there is rink capacity available. All users are requested to pre-register so that contact tracing information is provided. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged to avoid disappointment.
  • If a registered rink user is not present 5 minutes following the start of their booking the spot will be given to a drop-in skater.
  • Face coverings are strongly recommended for all skaters using the rink.
  • Skaters must physically distance themselves 6ft/2m from each other, as per public health guidelines.

Skating on frozen stormwater ponds is prohibited

For their safety, residents are reminded to stay off frozen stormwater ponds! Water levels and flows change rapidly at this time of year, making skating and other activities extremely dangerous. Run-off of road salts into these ponds also makes the ice thinner and weaker than presumed. Learn more at brantford.ca/Stormwater.

Additional safe exercise opportunities

To provide additional safe opportunities for exercise, we invite you to connect with the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre certified fitness team to stay motivated and active during the current stay at home order. Join the Fitness at the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre Facebook page or access archived classes online.

Accessing City Services

Residents are encouraged to review the list of Popular City Services available online for alternate ways to access City services during the stay at home order. Use our online form to report an issue or request a non-urgent City service. For general enquiries, email the Customer Contact Centre or call 519-759-4150.

Visit brantford.ca/OpenandClosed for an up to date list of the status of City facilities.

Additional updates regarding City programs and services, and the continuity of services are shared regularly on the City’s Facebook and Twitter pages and at brantford.ca/coronavirus.

-30-

Media Contact: 

Maria Visocchi Director, Communications and Community Engagement
City of Brantford | Office: 519.759.4150 Ext. 5754 | mvisocchi@brantford.ca

 

View more news
Search the City Newsroom
Subscribe to News Alerts | City Website| Privacy Policy
© City of Brantford, 100 Wellington Square Brantford