Cities preparing for new provincial restrictions
Police, bylaw officers will have power to enforce new orders, says province
Niagara municipalities have been trying to prepare for the province’s new stay-at-home order while awaiting clarification on certain measures and how exactly enforcement will play out.
Niagara Falls’ bylaw department, in collaboration with Niagara Regional Police, has “sufficient” staff to enforce all provisions of Ontario’s second state of emergency order, says Gerald Spencer, manager of the city’s municipal enforcement services.
As of Thursday, residents will have to stay home except for essential purposes such as grocery shopping, accessing health care and exercising.
The province said police and bylaw officers will have the power to enforce the stay-athome order and issue tickets to rule-breakers across Ontario.
The order was announced Tuesday as the province declared a state of emergency — its second of the COVID-19 pandemic — and unveiled a series of new restrictions meant to slow the spread of the virus.
The province was expected to publish the legal parameters for the order online sometime Wednesday evening.
Spencer said all municipal law enforcement officers are “adequately” trained to assess any situation and will contact Niagara Regional Police for assistance when necessary.
“If the city receives a specific complaint against a specific business or group, then staff will attend/contact (them) where necessary,” he said.
Under the provincial emergency, municipal enforcement staff have been given enhanced authority to disperse crowds indoors and outdoors, said Spencer. “For example, where a group of five or more people who are not from the same household are outdoors, they can be required to leave, and the premise may be closed. Municipal enforcement staff who have reasonable grounds to believe that an individual has committed an offence may require the individual to provide the officer with the individual’s correct name, date of birth, and address.”
Welland interim chief administrative officer Steve Zorbas said bylaw enforcement officers will respond to complaints during business hours throughout the week, with some limited weekend service.
Those with complaints around lockdown rules not being followed outside of city business hours should contact Niagara Regional Police.
As the province announced the new lockdown rules, Welland’s emergency control group, which consists of senior staff and general managers from every department and division, met inside city hall.
“We’ve already met three times today to get clarification (on the rules) and make sure we are getting it right,” said Zorbas.
St. Catharines’ bylaw division is currently evaluating to see if there’s a need for more officers to deal with the stay-at-home order. Manager of corporate communications Maggie Riopelle said if they do need more, a request will be made to city council to redeploy staff for that purpose.
The city is shifting its services to online or over the phone and further restricting access to St. Catharines city hall due to the new state of emergency.
“Any services that can be provided virtually will be,” chief administrative officer Shelley Chemnitz said earlier in the day, before the city’s leadership team met to go over details.
City employees who are able to work from home will do so, just as they did during the first state of emergency in March.
Residents can access essential services by emailing the Citizens First customer service team at citizensfirst@stcatharines.ca or by calling 905-6885600.
The St. Catharines Farmers Market will continue to run but only on Saturdays with limited capacity of one person per vendor.
Community centres and arenas remain closed. The community, recreation and culture services department is offering online programming.
Riopelle said community outdoor ice rinks will be allowed to operate if the weather allows, with a maximum of five people on the ice at any given time. Participants will have to wear masks and social distance.
Peter Criscione, a communication consultant at Niagara Region, said they don’t anticipate any “immediate affect on our operations due to the stayat-home order,” nor have regional services been affected by the shutdown.
At regional headquarters in Thorold, the staff, operations, and facilities have been adapted to continue providing essential services while maintaining safety and complying with all provincial regulations and restrictions, he said. The facilities remain closed to the public, and staff who can work remotely will continue to do so.