Events postponed, schools closed, offices shut down
The spread of COVID-19 is prompting event and workplace shutdowns in Ottawa and across the country.
Below is a running list that will be updated as more information about cancellations, closures and postponements becomes available.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Ontario’s ministry of education announced Thursday afternoon that all publicly funded schools — including secondary and elementary — will close for two weeks following March break.
CITY AND PRIVATE FACILITIES
Recreational activities at the Brewer Park arena have been moved to other locations to allow the rink’s use as a COVID -19 Community Assessment Centre. The Brewer Park pool and playground remained open as of Thursday. The Soloway Jewish Community Centre, Ottawa Jewish Community School and Kehillat Beth Israel are slated to close until test results return for a possible case of COVID -19. The individual’s family had been at all three locations. The family is currently self-isolating. “It is our hope that this is a temporary situation and that all institutions will reopen quickly,” said the SJCC on Thursday.
The Quebec government has banned all indoor gatherings of 250 people or more until further notice.
LOCAL EVENTS
The Irish Society of the National Capital Region and Beau’s Brewery have postponed their St. Patrick’s Day Parade and after-party, scheduled for Saturday. A new date has not been shared.
Carleton University has indefinitely postponed a speaking engagement featuring MP Jody Wilson-Raybould, scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, and a FIRST Robotics Competition event that was supposed to run all weekend on campus.
At Lansdowne Park, the Ottawa Coffee Fest (March 23) and Vegan Food Festival (April 26) have been postponed.
The Gatineau-Ottawa Bicycle Show, set to run all weekend at the Palais des Congrès, has been cancelled.
Ottawa’s Iranian-Canadian community has cancelled a spring bazaar set for the Infinity Convention Centre on Sunday. VERSeFest, Ottawa’s international poetry festival, has been postponed. All purchased tickets for the March event will be refunded and new dates will be announced later this spring, according to organizers. Ottawa businesses and retailers
Canadian software company ProntoForms has its headquarters in Ottawa. Employees are being strongly encouraged to work from home. Visitors are being restricted.
Telecom giant Ciena is shutting down its Ottawa office until March 17 after one of its employees was found to have contracted COVID-19.
Starting March 16, Shopify wants employees to work from home to “help play a part in reducing the spread of the virus.”
Ottawa tech company Solace said all of its work will be done remotely, starting Monday, at its offices worldwide.
SurveyMonkey, which has an Ottawa office, encouraged all of its employees to work remotely and is providing an employee stipend “to purchase additional equipment to ensure a comfortable and effective remote workspace.” The company said it will continue to pay and support staff whose work involves maintaining SurveyMonkey offices and preparing meals.
POLITICS AND PUBLIC SECTOR
The Superintendent of Financial Institutions shut the doors to its Ottawa offices Thursday and sent 360 employees home while one of them undergoes testing for COVID -19.
Conservative leadership candidates Peter MacKay, Erin O’Toole, Leslyn Lewis, and Rick Peterson have suspended in-person campaign events. A leadership debate scheduled for the Manning Networking Conference in Ottawa next month is now cancelled. Organizers have been exploring the possibility of streaming the debate online.
The union representing 60,000 Ontario public high school teachers and some education support staff indefinitely postponed its annual meeting scheduled for March 13 to 16 in Toronto.
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada is closing its offices across the country and allowing most employees to work from home between March 16 and April 4. All PIPSC union-related activities and travel have been postponed. “During this time, our staff are committed to supporting members and will continue to be available by email and phone. Mailboxes will be monitored,” the union said. Sports
The NHL suspended its 201920 season, beginning with games scheduled for Thursday night.
The NBA put the rest of its regular season on hold Wednesday
night after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.
MLB spring training games have been cancelled, and the start of the regular season is delayed by at least two weeks.
The Ottawa 67’s season has been put on hold.
The NCAA has cancelled the March Madness basketball tournament and all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships.
The Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) has suspended all games and practices indefinitely.
MUSIC AND CULTURE
The Canadian Tire Centre has postponed all of its events until further notice. All events at Casino Lac-Leamy have been cancelled until at least April 12.
The Juno Awards and all Juno Week activities in Saskatoon have been cancelled.
The National Arts Centre said Thursday afternoon that evening performances and events would go ahead, but those who want to exchange or get a refund on their tickets can contact 1-844-9852787. The Glorious Sons, scheduled to play TD Place March 28, has postponed its Canadian tour. Fans were told to “hold on to your tickets, as new dates will be announced in the coming weeks and they will be honoured for the rescheduled date.”
Pearl Jam postponed its North American tour, including a March 20 Ottawa show.
Musician Mdou Moctar has cancelled a sold-out Ottawa show planned for March 16 at Club SAW, along with the rest of a North American Tour. Joyfultalk and Wellington Sanipe have bowed out of a March 19 show at Cinqhole.
Disney on Ice shows, which were to run to March 15 at the Canadian Tire Centre, have been cancelled. Ticketmaster says refunds will automatically be added to your credit card. If you purchased elsewhere, contact your point of purchase directly.
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES
Carleton has cancelled its Athletics March Break camp and postponed its March Break open house and Relay for Life. The CUSA Sustainability Fair scheduled for Friday has been postponed until further notice. The 2020 Fields-Carleton Distinguished Public Lecture and Research Lecture, scheduled for March 19 and 20, have been postponed.
With Postmedia files
Have a closure, cancellation or major change we should know about? Contact tblewett@postmedia.com.