June 19 - Update
- Councillor Nunziata
- Jun 19, 2020
- 7 min read
Dear Friends and Neighbours,
Fewer than 200 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Ontario for the sixth day in a row.This is very encouraging news on our gradual path to reopening and recovery.
Today, the Ontario government released its safety plan for the resumption of class for the 2020-21 school year in September. Click here to read the news release.
Ontario's driver testing services provider, DriveTest, will begin offering limited services across the province beginning Monday, June 22, 2020, with the expectation of restoring full services by September. The staggered approach will be based on customer date of birth. Read more about this here.
Construction on Dennis Ave Community School has unfortunately been delayed and is expected to begin in late 2020. Students from Dennis Avenue CS were scheduled to transition over to Rockcliffe MS in September 2020 for the duration of the construction. Due to the current school shut down, the Toronto District School board has had to adjust the schedule for the move of Dennis Avenue CS students into Rockcliffe MS. Dennis students will now move into Rockcliffe MS in January 2021. Parents with children at Dennis Ave CS have been notified about this change. The notice letter is also available here.
‘Slow Down’ lawn signs are available!Please contact my office if you would like to have one delivered to your home (don't forget to mention your address!). There are now three designs available (pictured above). Please indicate if you prefer the orange, yellow, or blue sign.
Shakespeare in Action have just released plans for some of their summer programs for children and seniors.These include:
Digital Summer Story-Club: The Tempest for kids ages 7-14;
Backyard Summer Camps for children ages 7-14 and;
The Tempest in Northwest Toronto which is a workshop for people ages 55 and over. Click each link to learn more about the programs.
Construction notices:
Rogers Road Bridge - Overnight Repair Work June 24-25
Maple Leaf Park / Mayo Dr / Culford Rd - Sewer Rehabilitation August 2020 - May 2021
The Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild is seeking feedback from individuals, businesses and community groups on how Toronto can recover, rebuild and emerge from this pandemic even stronger. An online survey, as well as tips and tools for hosting your own discussion is now available at www.Toronto.ca/RecoveryRebuild. The survey is open until June 30, 2020.
Check out York West Active Living Centre's lineup of virtual instructional and social workshops here.
Sincerely,
Frances
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CITY-WIDE UPDATES:
The City of Toronto is resuming the issuance of marriage licences on an appointment-only basis starting on Monday, June 22, 2020.
Starting today, Toronto residents who wish to obtain a marriage licence will be able to book an appointment online at www.toronto.ca/getting-married. Applicants will need to complete an online application three days prior to their appointment. Applicants with appointments will be served by special arrangement at North York Civic Centre.
The City is taking steps to protect the health and safety of the public and staff which include:
health screening
physical distancing
sanitization
pre-screening of applications before the appointment to reduce transaction time
permitting one member of the couple to attend the appointment, unless otherwise required for accommodation purposes
allowing a maximum of 10 applicants in the building at any one time
North York Civic Centre will remain closed to the general public. The City is also encouraging applicants to wear a cloth mask when attending their appointment.
City to open 15 Emergency Cooling Centres during Heat Warning
Environment and Climate Change Canada has declared a Heat Warning for Toronto for Saturday, June 20 through to Sunday, June 21.
Environment and Climate Change Canada issues a Heat Warning when it forecasts two or more consecutive days with daytime maximum temperatures of 31°C or warmer, together with minimum nighttime temperatures of 20°C or warmer, or when there is a forecast of two or more consecutive days with humidex values expected to reach 40 or higher.
Extreme heat is associated with negative health impacts ranging from heat stress to heat stroke and death. During periods of hot weather, the safety of all residents is the priority.
Starting at 11 a.m. on June 20, the City of Toronto will open 15 Emergency Cooling Centres (ECCs) for the duration of the Heat Warning. An interactive map is available to help those who need to locate an Emergency Cooling Centre near them.In York South-Weston, Amesbury Arena (155 Culford Rd) will open as a cooling centre.
Tips to protect yourself from the heat are available at toronto.ca/keepcool. When a Heat Warning is declared, those who need assistance or have heat-related inquiries can call 311.
The City of Toronto has created a virtual ceremony to commemorate National Indigenous Peoples Day. Due to ongoing COVID-19 measures, this year the ceremony will not be held live at Nathan Phillips Square, but instead will be hosted online, to ensure the health and safety of all.
All are welcome and encouraged to view the video ceremony at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 21, joining others across Canada in celebrating this important day to recognize and celebrate the unique culture, accomplishments and knowledge of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. The video will be posted at toronto.ca/indigenous-event.
Toronto Public Health (TPH) has developed guidance documents to support the safe reopening of local businesses and community organizations. All businesses and organizations will need to adjust how they operate to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Whether a business owner or operator, an employee, or a customer, it is important residents stay informed to understand what our new normal will look like in the months ahead.
There are range of documents available to address the unique circumstances of different types of workplaces and community settings in our city, available on the City’s website.
The City of Toronto marks Canada’s 153rd birthday with a virtual showcase by the best and brightest talent on July 1. The Canada Day 2020 event will bring Torontonians together virtually with three livestream shows featuring performances by Gordon Lightfoot, Haviah Mighty, Choir! Choir! Choir!Cris Derksen and others in iconic Toronto venues. The event is made possible in part by Canadian Heritage.
The following ActiveTO Major Road closures that will be in place this weekend, from Saturday, June 20 at 6 a.m. to Sunday, June 21 at 11 p.m. include:
Lake Shore Boulevard West (eastbound lanes only) from Windermere Avenue to Stadium Road. As a result, the eastbound Gardiner Expressway off ramp to Lake Shore Boulevard West (exit #146) will also be closed
Lake Shore Boulevard East (eastbound lanes only) from Leslie Street to just south of Woodbine Avenue (Kew Beach Avenue)
Bayview Avenue from Front Street East to Rosedale Valley Road, and River Street from Gerrard Street East to Bayview Avenue
Residents planning to use Major Road Closures should access them by bike or as a pedestrian as nearby parking is limited and there is no site parking available.
Approximately 65 kilometres of Quiet Streets are now available to local residents throughout the city in time for this weekend. Quiet Streets are shared neighbourhood streets for walking, running, biking and slow moving local traffic only.
New this week, work on installation of a temporary bike lane started on University Avenue/Queen’s Park Crescent, between Adelaide Street West and Bloor Street West. Design and installation planning are well underway for routes along Bloor Street, between Avenue Road and Sherbourne Street, and Bayview Avenue between River Street and Rosedale Valley Road. Installation of approved permanent cycling routes is happening simultaneously.
An online map is available to residents with locations that have been installed as part of CurbTO for businesses (pickup zones and pedestrian zones) and installed ActiveTO locations for residents.
As residents head outside this weekend, they’re reminded of the importance of adhering to Toronto Public Health’s advice to wash their hands often, stay within their social circle of no more than 10 people, practise physical distancing, or wear a face covering or non-medical mask to protect others when in settings where physical distancing cannot be maintained.
The City of Toronto continues to safely and gradually open services and amenities. City park amenities open this weekend include:
picnic shelters
soccer and multi-use outdoor fields, including running tracks in parks
baseball diamonds and basketball courts
some public tennis courts and pickleball courts
lawn bowling and outdoor bocce
off-leash dog parks
BMX locations and skateboard parks
City-run golf courses and disc golf locations
ravine green spaces, beaches, trails and boardwalks for walking, running or biking
fishing with a licence, boating, kayaking and canoeing
Park amenities that remain closed include playgrounds, outdoor exercise equipment, swimming pools, fixed barbecues, wading pools and splash pads. Greenhouses, nurseries and conservatories, High Park Zoo, Riverdale Farm also remain closed. The City is working with market organizers to safely reopen farmers' markets usually located on 22 City sites. There is no public ferry access to Toronto Island Park. The ferry will continue running for Island residents only.
Permits for soccer, multi-use fields and baseball diamonds continue to be cancelled. Individuals are not permitted to play team sports, such as soccer, basketball or baseball, even on fields or courts intended for this purpose unless they are members of the same household.
Public washroom facilities
Park washrooms will be open to the public this weekend. Staff have worked with Toronto Public Health on guidelines for the safe opening of washrooms and other amenities. In addition, the City has opened a number of facilities with showers, washrooms, and drinking water for all individuals in need of these services. Health guidelines for washrooms are available on the City Services webpage.
Residents using public washrooms should maintain a distance of two metres or six feet from others at all times while waiting in line, and should wash hands or use hand sanitizer. It is also recommended that cloth face coverings are worn, especially when physical distancing is difficult.
Toronto Public Health announced that each day this week it has exceeded the provincial target of reaching 90% of cases within 24 hours. This is a significant accomplishment and can be attributed to the dedicated staff assigned to the response efforts. To-date, there have been nearly 14,000 cases of COVID-19 investigated by TPH.
Case and contact management plays an important role in managing and responding to an infectious disease such as COVID-19. After receiving laboratory confirmation of a COVID-19 case, TPH staff follows up with the individual in order to confirm the person is isolating, identify their close contacts, and investigate into how they might have contracted the virus. TPH also continues to follow cases for 14 days to monitor the individual’s symptoms and ensure that they are appropriately isolated.
Toronto Public Health also recently launched a new COVID-19 monitoring dashboard, which provides the public with a current summary on how the city is progressing in its response to COVID-19 as Toronto moves to the recovery phase.
For the latest updates from the City of Toronto, please click here.
For the latest updates from the Federal Government, please click here.
For the latest updates from the Province of Ontario, please click here.
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