COVID-19
Latest Provincial Update
Province of Ontario 3-step reopening plan
Pertaining to the announcement made by Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Thursday, May 20th in reference to the proposed 3-step re-opening plan, certain outdoor sporting facilities and amenities are set to reopen on Saturday May 22nd.
Under the new plan, restrictions will be eased through June, July and August based on vaccination rates and key public health and health-care indicators.
The current stay-at-home order will remain in place until June 2nd, with the exception of these newly announced changes to some outdoor activities.
In the City of Woodstock, as of May 22nd the following outdoor amenities can reopen if they follow the provincial safety criteria:
• Parks and recreational area
• Baseball diamonds
• Batting cages
• Soccer, football, and sports fields
• Tennis courts
• Basketball courts
• Skate/BMX park
• Frisbee golf
• Cycling tracks and bike trails
• Playgrounds
• Boat and watercraft launches
Please note that gated fields used for competitive play will remained closed.
The parks department is not taking bookings at this time.
Phase 1 set to start week of June 13th
The province says it will remain in each step of its plan for at least 21 days to evaluate any impacts on key public indicators. If at the end of the 21 days, the following vaccination thresholds have been met, along with positive trends in other key public health system indicators, then the province will move to the next step:
- Step 1: 60 per cent of adults vaccinated with one dose
- Step 2: 70 per cent of adults vaccinated with one dose and 20 percent vaccinated with two doses
- Step 3: 70 to 80 per cent of adults vaccinated with one dose and 25 per cent vaccinated with two doses
The Province of Ontario is solely and directly responsible for lifting or easing their emergency orders under which the City operates to deliver services.
City Hall, the Engineering Office and the Parks and Recreation Office will remain closed to walk-in traffic. To book an in-person appointment, please call the main switchboard at: 519-539-1291.
Service Information by Department
| City Hall |
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City hall will be closed to walk-in visitors until further notice. Services will continue to be offered on-line (www.cityofwoodstock.ca),over the phone (519-539-1291), via email, or by appointment if necessary.
Tax Payments:
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| Engineering, Public Works, Building & By-law |
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The Engineering Office will be closed to walk-in visitors until further notice. Services will continue to be offered on-line (www.cityofwoodstock.ca),over the phone (519-539-1291), via email, or by appointment if necessary.
Building permits will continue to be received and processed, however only essential construction as defined by Provincial restrictions will be able to commence. |
| Garbage & Recycling |
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January 5th Regular Service Resumes |
| Enviro Depot & Recycle Depot |
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Regular Summer Hours - Click here for hours of operation |
| Bulk Item Pick Up Changes |
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Bulk Item Pickup dates: Purple - Monday Route - The week of April 18th to 23rd Yellow - Tuesday Route - The week of April 25th to 30th Green - Wednesday Route - The week of May 2nd to 7th Red - Thursday Route - The week of May 9th to 14th Blue - Friday Route - The week of May 16th to 21st
For further information please refer to the City Services Calendar Which was mailed out earlier this month. Copies can be obtained at the Reeve Street entrance to City Hall. |
| Transit & Para-transit |
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Regular schedules remain in place |
| Art Gallery & Museum |
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Art Gallery: The WAG will be closed until further notice. Museum: The Museum will be closed until further notice. |
| Library |
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The Woodstock Public Library has returned to curbside pickup library service.
Please check the Library's website for more details concerning library services during the emergency lockdown at: http://www.mywpl.ca. |
| Small Business Centre |
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The office is closed to the walk-in public. Appointments can be booked thru the website (www.smallbusinesscentre.ca) Questions/Inquiries: Phone: (519-532-0063) or Email Us |
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Parks & Trails/Recreation Programs/Cowan Park Sportsplex |
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In the City of Woodstock, as of May 22nd the following outdoor amenities can reopen if they follow the provincial safety criteria: • Parks and recreational area Please note that gated fields used for competitive play will remained closed. The Parks Department is not taking bookings at this time.
The following facilities will be closed until further notice: • Reeves Community Complex (except for vaccination clinic) • Civic Centre Arena • Southside Aquatic Centre • Cowan Park Sportsplex
Exceptions: • Parks and trails for walking and exercise are open as well as park benches, playgrounds and off-leash dog parks.
Please ensure that physical distancing of at least two metres is being observed when doing any activities.
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New measures just announced by the province include:
Require all businesses and organizations to comply with the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams, including screening people who wish to enter their premises for COVID-19 symptoms.
Click here to view the Covid Screening Questions
Face Coverings Required
Please be advised as of Thursday, August 6, 2020, face coverings will be required in all City of Woodstock enclosed public spaces. This includes but not limited to all indoor public spaces, bus shelters and pubic transit.
*Subject to exemptions. Click here to find out about face covering exemptions
Please review the attached information issued by Southwestern Public Health regarding:
FAQ About Face Coverings
| Where can I find more info about Southwestern Public Health mandating face coverings in enclosed public spaces? |
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Visit https://www.swpublichealth.ca/facecoverings
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| Who do I call to report a non-compliant business regarding mandated face coverings? |
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To report a non-compliant business regarding mandated face coverings, please contact:
Southwestern Public Health 1-800-922-0096 ext.9
City of Woodstock By-law 519-539-2382 ext.3160 |
Departmental Quick Links
City Facilities/Closures
| Is City Hall open? |
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City hall will be closed to walk-in visitors until further notice. Services will continue to be offered on-line (www.cityofwoodstock.ca),over the phone (519-539-1291), via email, or by appointment if necessary. |
| Can I still go to the library? |
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Has returned to curbside pickup library service.
Please check the Library's website for more details concerning library services during the emergency lockdown at: http://www.mywpl.ca. |
| Is Engineering Open? |
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The Engineering Office will be closed to walk-in visitors until further notice. Services will continue to be offered on-line (www.cityofwoodstock.ca),over the phone (519-539-1291), via email, or by appointment if necessary.
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Is the Art Gallery open? |
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The Woodstock Art Gallery will be closed until further notice. |
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Is the Museum open? |
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The Woodstock Museum will be closed until further notice. |
EnviroDepot/Wate Management
| Are the Enviro Depot and Clark Street Recycling Collections Depot open? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Due to the current Ontario lockdown, both the EnviroDepot and Recycling will be closed on Saturdays. HOURS OF OPERATIONSUMMER HOURS (April 1 to November 30)
RECYCLING DEPOT DROP-OFF HOURS OF OPERATIONNo Appointments Required. This winter, fibres (paper) and containers will be accepted at the recycling depot drop-off area located within the Enviro Depot at 944 James Street for the following hours.
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| Is there any changes to Bulk Item pickup? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bulk Item Pickup dates: Purple - Monday Route - The week of April 18th to 23rd Yellow - Tuesday Route - The week of April 25th to 30th Green - Wednesday Route - The week of May 2nd to 7th Red - Thursday Route - The week of May 9th to 14th Blue - Friday Route - The week of May 16th to 21st
For further information please refer to the City Services Calendar |
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| Do I still need to use garbage tags for garbage pickup? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Garbage Bag Tag program is facilitated by Oxford County. Any questions or concerns you may have regarding the County's bag tag program should be directed to the County at 519-539-9800 or by email info@wasteline.ca. At this time, garbage bag tags as still required for garbage pickup.
You can now purchase bag tags online and they will be mailed directly to your home. |
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| Will my garbage and recycling be picked up? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Garbage and recycling will continue to be picked up as scheduled. Residents can use the wasteline app to confirm their pickup schedule; visit the garbage and recycling web page for more information. To keep our workers safe please bag up your used tissues, wipes or other items you may have used to clean and or disinfect and dispose of in your regular garbage collection. If you are or have been sick, please place any items that may of come in contact with your mouth, nose or eyes into a sealed garbage bag. This applies to items that would normally be recycled such as water bottles, pop cans, and juice cartons. |
| Can I flush papertowel and wet wipes down the toilet? |
| Please do no flush papertowel and wetwipes down the toilet. Flushing paper towel and wipes down the toilet can cost a resident hundreds of dollars to unblock or repair their sanitary service. It is even more costly to the Municipality as it causes breakages in critical machinery. Even ”flushable” wipes can cause problems as Ryerson University finds that these wipes cannot safely be disposed of in your toilet. |
Parks, Recreation and Culture
| Can I request a refund for programs that have been cancelled? |
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Participants may request a refund by emailing us here. Your request will take 2 to 4 weeks to process.
To help ensure we are able to provide your refund in a timely manner, we ask that you please log into your Legend online account with the City of Woodstock and ensure your personal information and address is up to date.
If you are having issues logging in to your account, please use the Reset Password option. Any other issues or concerns with your Legend account, please email us here. |
| What will be happening with my Recreation membership? |
| All recreational swimming, aquafitness and walking track memberships were put on hold and have be reactivated when facilities are open. |
| Are recreation facilities open? |
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The following facilities will be closed until further notice: • Reeves Community Complex (except for vaccination clinic) • Reeves Community Complex Office • Civic Centre Arena • Southside Aquatics Centre • Parks Office • Cowan Park Sportsplex (except for blood donor clinics) |
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Can I use City trails? |
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Yes, city trails are available for use. Please respect social distancing rules, keep dogs on a leash, and dispose of any garbage properly. |
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Are the tennis courts and pickleball courts open? |
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In the City of Woodstock, as of May 22nd the following outdoor amenities can reopen if they follow the provincial safety criteria:
The parks department is not taking bookings at this time. Please note that gated fields used for competitive play will remained closed. |
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Are parks and playgrounds open? |
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Yes, parks and playgrounds are open. Please respect social distancing rules while in the parks and dispose of any garbage properly. Social gatherings are not permitted under the provincial order. |
Treasury and Taxation
| Will the City continue to expect the 2021 Interim Tax bill to be paid? |
All Other Payments:
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| How can I pay my property taxes without attending City Hall or my financial institution? |
Property tax payments can be made using these methods:
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| How can I get information about my property taxes? |
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Contact City Hall at 519-539-1291 and request the Tax Department. Leave a message if there is no answer, someone will call you back as soon as possible. E-mail Property Tax |
| What if I am selling or purchasing a property? |
| Your lawyer should be advising our office at the time that the transaction has closed. Documents can be e-mailed to Property Tax or faxed to 519-539-7705. Changes to ownership will be made as time permits. |
Transit
| Is transit still operational? |
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Yes, regular service is being maintained. |
| How can I reload my Transit Pass? |
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Special Events
| Is the City cancelling/postponing events/rentals? |
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*2021 Events TBA
We are suspending several City-run special events and meetings. If you have paid a fee for any of the suspended events, a credit will be applied to your account. |
City Council
| When is the next council meeting? |
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Regularly scheduled Council meetings are currently being conducted virtually. You can watch the meeting via livestream on the City of Woodstock YouTube Channel. Agendas, minutes and recordings for meetings can be found at https://calendar.cityofwoodstock.ca/council. |
Emergency Services
| Can I have a fire in my backyard? |
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NOTICE: At this time we are lifting the Open Air Burning ban for those who have existing current permits. We will not be able to issue new permits until further restrictions are lifted and we can enter homes to see that all alarms are up to date and working as per the bylaw. We respectfully ask that permit holders abide by the rules as outlined in the bylaw. If you have questions about permits or the bylaw please visit www.cityofwoodstock.ca for more information and please be good neighbours!
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Can I discharge fireworks? |
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There is a full ban on the sale and discharge of fireworks. The temporary ban on the sale and use of fireworks has been lifted for the Canada Day Holiday. Sale of fireworks will be allowed to start on June 24. For those wishing to use fireworks please familiarize yourself with the bylaw and remember the only day you can do so is July 1. |
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Who do I call to report a Covid-19 violation? |
| Concerned citizens may report violators by calling the City of Woodstock Police at (519) 537-2323. Please do not call 911. |
| What do I do if I have Covid-19 symptoms? |
| Please take the online self assessment tool and follow the instructions. |
Resources
We continue to encourage people to connect with trusted sources for Novel Coronavirus information including the following web sites:
Southwestern Public health - General information
Ontario Ministry of Health - Up-to-date status information
Public Health Canada - Frequently asked questions
Residents are encouraged to follow precautions outlined by the Southwestern Public Health and Emergency Services to reduce the risk and prevent the spread of germs.
We've Got This Woodstock
The City of Woodstock would like to thank these notable Woodstock born celebrities that were gracious enough to lend their voices to our Covid-19 awareness radio campaign.
| Mayor Trevor Birtch |
| Andrea Roth |
| Greg Morton |
| Jake Muzzin |
| Janna Polzin |
| Kevin Zegers |
| Matt Cassidy |
