City-run recreation programs and events are cancelled
Hamilton will not close its facilities, but any programs on hiatus
Hamilton will temporarily end all city-run recreation programs and events — including March break camps for kids — in response to a ramped-up, cross-Ontario effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The decision was announced hours after Ontario’s chief medical officer, Dr. David Williams, urged a temporary ban on all gatherings of 250 or more people. He also encouraged residents not to travel outside the country — just a day before the busy March break travel period begins.
All municipal recreational and drop-in programs, city events or “nonstatutory” meetings are cancelled immediately through April 5. (City-run child care at the Red Hill Family Centre will continue, for now.) Anyone who has already paid for a program or camp booking will be refunded.
Mayor Fred Eisenberger acknowledged the move will cause “difficult circumstances” for some of the hundreds of working parents in Hamilton who rely on city-run camps like Kidaca to take care of kids aged four to 15 during the March break.
Outside agencies like the Royal Botanical Gardens also announced a closure of its facilities Friday that will effectively cancel its popular March break camps and activities.
“If I had young kids at this point, I’d probably be wondering, ‘What do we do now?’ ” he said at a news conference Friday. He said families will have to “get creative” if they had planned to use city programs to get through the next three weeks of school closures.
“These are difficult decisions, but unfortunately necessary given the circumstances.”
City governments in Burlington and St. Catharines also announced a temporary closure of municipal facilities Friday.
Hamilton will not physically close its recreation centres, arenas and pool buildings because outside organizations like hockey leagues are still allowed to run programs out of those facilities — at least for now.
The city will not accept any new group bookings for its facilities this month, said emergency operations centre director Paul Johnson, and the city is “reviewing” existing bookings with an eye on the fast-changing landscape of new COVID-19 cases in Ontario and locally.
As of Friday, there was still only one confirmed local case of infection.
The Hamilton Public Library will remain open to visit this month, but any scheduled city events in the branches are cancelled.
The city also owns the Core Entertainment-run FirstOntario Centre and concert hall, as well as the Carmens-run convention centre.
Johnson said the city is having
“discussions” with those operating partners, but has not directed them to cancel previously booked events. However, many upcoming events in those venues have already been cancelled or postponed by promoters, including concerts by Matthew Good and Pearl Jam. The popular multiday March break event, “Disney On Ice,” was also cancelled Friday.
The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra has also cancelled its Mainstage Saturday concert “Haydn’s London” scheduled at FirstOntario Concert Hall.
Hamilton’s signature road race, Around the Bay, is also at least temporarily cancelled. The 30-kilometre race will no longer go ahead March 29, but organizers have yet to decide whether the popular event will be rescheduled.
The Hamilton Conservation Authority has also cancelled the remainder of its March dates for the Maple Syrup Festival at Westfield Heritage Village.
Local organizers of Sikh Heritage Month have also announced it will not go ahead with a planned series of celebratory events in April. “It is our hope that cancelling our events during this global pandemic will help in keeping the community safe,” said Sukhi Dhillon in a letter explaining the decision.