Weekly COVID-19 Update
Dear Resident:

This weekly e-update is being provided to keep you up-to-date on the COVID-19 virus. As you know, services and programs continue to change daily.

The City of Mississauga is working on a coordinated response to the virus with Peel Public Health and other government partners.

My office staff and I are working remotely, however we are still holding virtual meetings including City and Regional Council to ensure that we continue to provide essential services.

I would encourage you to check the links below for the City, Region and Province to keep as up to date as possible. If you are on Facebook, I am constantly posting new information on the Karen Ras page.

For any service requests please contact 311.

If you require any assistance from my office, please email karen.ras@mississauga.ca

Stay safe & healthy!
City of Mississauga to Host Second COVID-19 Tele Town Hall
The City of Mississauga will host a second Tele Town Hall session on Wednesday, April 8 to address concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and to update the public and local businesses about what the City is doing to protect their health and safety.

Residents will be able to ask COVID-19 related questions to a group of panelists from the City, Peel Region Public Health, Trillium Health Partners and Peel Regional Police and Paramedic Services. City Councillors and senior staff will also be available to answer questions.

Panelists will include:
  • Mayor Bonnie Crombie, City of Mississauga
  • Janice Baker, City Manager and Chief Administrative Officer, City of Mississauga
  • Tim Beckett, Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management, City of Mississauga
  • Nancy Polsinelli, Interim Chief Administrative Officer, Region of Peel
  • Dr. Lawrence Loh, Medical Officer of Health, Peel Region Public Health
  • Chief Nish Duraiappah, Peel Regional Police
  • Peter Dundas, Chief and Director, Peel Regional Paramedic Services
  • Representative from Trillium Health Partners
 
Residents who wish to participate in the session can do so in the following three ways:

1.    Register in advance: residents who wish to participate in the session are encouraged to register their telephone number in advance at the following link: mississauga.ca/townhall

2.    Participate online: to participate live online, simply click the following link: mississauga.ca/livestreamevent

3.    Join by telephone: a random selection of residents will receive a telephone call to participate on April 8. If you don’t wish to participate, simply hang up. If you don’t receive an automated call and would like to participate, please dial 1-877-229-8493 and enter ID number: 115911.

What:
Second Tele Town Hall to address COVID-19 concerns and update the community
 
When:
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
7 to 8:30 p.m.

To learn about the latest updates on actions taken by the City of Mississauga, visit   mississauga.ca/coronavirus  or follow  @CityMississauga  on Twitter.
 
For health information, please visit  peelregion.ca/coronavirus
City of Mississauga COVID-19 Response: Enhanced Measures to Protect our Community - Improving Safety and Mitigating Impacts
Council meeting, Mississauga City Council took further actions in response to COVID-19 to further improve safety and help mitigate impacts on residents and businesses.

Council and staff continue to monitor this pandemic as it unfolds and take action to provide relief for both residents and businesses. Last week additional relief measures were announced, which includes 3 month rent deferral for tenants in our City facilities. The City is also stepping up enforcement of physical distancing in our parks and public spaces, by issuing fines of $750 or more. We encourage people to stay home as much as possible and stay apart. We will only get through this if we all work together.”
 
Rent Deferral for City Facility Tenants
  • The City of Mississauga is landlord to 42 tenants in its buildings
  • Today Council approved offering deferral of rent payments for tenants in City owned buildings for three months (April – June) until (July-Sept)
  • This will allow short term cash flow until it becomes clear what relief the Federal and Provincial governments are offering
  • Council asked landlords to work with their tenants (residential and non- residential) to provide relief where feasible and necessary to allow for short term cash flow relief
 
Parking Lots for City Parks Closed Until further Notice
  • Parking lots will be closed to vehicles at City parks and at some community centres adjacent to parks.
  • Green spaces and park trails remain open for walking as long as physical distancing is maintained.
 
City Enforcement Measures
  • City By-law Enforcement and Security Officers, are enforcing provincial orders related to non-essential business closures and gatherings of more than 5 people (unless members of a single household), in partnership with Peel Regional Police
  • Residents can call 3-1-1 to report non-compliance
  • Set fines for non-compliance range from $750 to $1000

Failure to comply with an order made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act may result in a set fine (ticket) of $750 or $1,000 for obstructing any person in exercising a power or performing a duty under the order. If the charge is laid by issuing a summons, a failure to comply with an emergency order could result in a fine up to $100,000 and up to one year imprisonment for an individual, $500,000 for a director or officer of a corporation or $10,000,000 for a corporation upon conviction.
  • Residents in Mississauga wishing to report a non-compliant food establishment such as a bar or restaurant, should call Peel Public Health at 905-799-7700.
 
City Facility Closures and Program Cancellations
All City facilities and public counters remain closed until further notice including but not limited to:
  • City Hall
  • Community centres
  • Libraries
  • Recreation facilities
  • Playgrounds
  • Soccer pitches
  • Basketball courts
  • Off-Leash parks
  • Parking lots at City parks and at some community centres adjacent to parks.

Please note, green spaces and park trails remain open for walking as long as physical distancing is maintained.
City Undertook a Weekend Blitz to Target Public Gatherings in City Parks
Parks and Parking Lots Closed for Your Safety - Do Your Part to Keep all Safe

Running total Security Service Park Enforcement from April 3 to April 6 at 8am

83 reported park enforcement incidents (17 officer found, 66 reported by public)
37 interactions with persons on site (2 persons issued tickets for a single event, 36 educate and informs)
46 incidents of persons gone on arrival (GOA)
Region of Peel Opens Emergency Child Care Centres to Support Health Care and Frontline Workers
In collaboration with the Ontario government, the Region of Peel is partnering with licensed child care providers to deliver free emergency child care to health care and frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Located close to Peel hospitals, emergency child care is being offered at licensed centres across Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon. Some of these centres will offer child care 24 hours a day, seven days a week to eligible parents with children age 12 and under.

Eligibility criteria can be found on the Province’s website. As of April 6, 2020, a list of available child care centres in Peel will also be posted on the Province’s website. Due to limited spaces, in this initial phase, the Region is prioritizing front-line health care workers and first responders. The Region of Peel will continue to work with licensed child care providers to expand the delivery of free emergency child care based on demand.

The Region has established an online application for eligible families to request emergency child care. These applications will be reviewed by Regional staff and applicants will receive a response within 72 hours.

Peel Public Health is directing safety and screening processes in emergency licensed child care centres to help limit the spread COVID-19. Enhanced measures will aim to protect the health and safety of children, parents and staff. For more information about emergency child care services in Peel, please visit peelregion.ca/coronavirus/childcare/ .
Interim Tax Payment Deferral

The City of Mississauga Council decided to defer the April, May and June interim property tax due dates by 90 days to help ease the economic impact of COVID-19. Please note this is not a forgiveness of your property taxes but a deferal,

This deferral, until later in the year, is to help provide cash flow relief over the next few months. For additional information click for the  FAQ  or click  here

 Most Common Questions

  1. The deadline for submitting an application under the Tax Rebate for Low-Income Seniors and Low-Income Persons with Disabilities Program remains December 31, 2020 and automatically includes application for the Stormwater Charge Subsidy. The Outdoor Maintenance Subsidy application deadline has been extended to December 31, 2020. 
  2. Payments may still be made at financial institutions, through online banking or dropped off at the drop box located on the north side of the Civic Centre. Payments received through these channels will continue to be processed. 
  3. Taxpayers who are either on a preauthorized payment plan or have submitted post-dated cheques and want to continue to pay their taxes in April, May and June can do so as follows:
For additional information, please feel free to call refer to 3-1-1.
COVID-19 UPDATE: Provincial Offences Courthouse – Screening & Hearing Appointments April 6 to May 29, 2020 Adjourned
Closed - Provincial Offences Courthouse 950 Burnhamthorpe Road West closed until further notice.

All scheduled matters under the Provincial Offices Act (POA) matters, Screening and Hearing Appointments scheduled between April 6 through to and including May 29, 2020 are being adjourned. Attendance at court is not required at this time. New court dates, screening or hearing appointments will be sent by mail to the address on file with the court.
The Government of Ontario under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMPCA), suspended any limitation periods in statutes and regulations for the duration of the State of Emergency. This will impact timelines under the Provincial Offences Act and related proceedings. A copy of the order is available online at: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/200073.

To learn about the latest updates on actions taken by the City of Mississauga visit   mississauga.ca/coronavirus .

For further COVID-19 information, please visit Region of  Peel Public Health. 
New Provincial Orders related to Construction Projects
The Province announced last Friday, that “effective Saturday April 4 th , at 11:59 p.m. all industrial construction except critical projects will be halted .”
 
The formal announcement also advises that no new residential construction can commence if the construction starts after April 4, 2020. However, It does go on to say that only essential infrastructure projects such as hospitals, transit and transportation can continue.
 
What this means for City Construction Projects?
 
  • F&PM construction projects including Churchill Meadows and other renovation and lifecycle renewal projects will be stopped until further notice.
  • City Centre Transit Terminal renovations and Malton Transit addition project can continue as Transit projects have been exempt from the list.
  • Parks construction projects including new Parks and amenities, renovations and renewals of park facilities (i.e. playgrounds) will be stopped until further notice.
  • T&W maintenance activities in WOM and IPE capital projects will continue at this time. However, T&W will be reviewing their activities and projects to determine which ones are absolutely critical and must proceed and which ones they want to defer to a later date.
 
What this means for HuLRT?
 
  • Mobilinx will need to confirm but based on the Provincial wording, transportation projects are exempt including the HuLRT project.  
 
What this means for Developer Construction Projects?
 
  • Residential Projects that have been issued a footing permit and above grade structural permit for single family, semis, townhomes and condos can continue.
  • Renovations and construction work to residential properties started before April 4, 2020 can continue.
  • The revised Provincial announcement does not significantly impact the overall construction activity in Mississauga. For high rise residential, as an example, conditional building permits issued in 2017- 2019 will remain active, which is a considerable amount of development. The new regulations will not have an impact to the application review and plans examination
Free Webinars for Mississauga Businesses Responding to
COVID-19: Registration Now Open
The City of Mississauga’s Economic Development Office is providing free webinars for small and medium sized businesses in Mississauga responding to COVID-19 to help support them during this difficult time.
“We continue to meet virtually with members of Mississauga’s Economic Development Advisory Board (EDAB) and work closely with businesses to gauge the impacts COVID-19 is having on our business community and identify support that is needed,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “Our Economic Development Office is fully virtual and continues to serve business clients on a daily basis. Many of our local business are concerned with how they will manage during this unprecedented time of uncertainty and these webinars aim to help them navigate through these new challenges.”

“The Economic Development Office, including the Mississauga Business Enterprise Centre (MBEC) is here for our businesses as we continue to be operational and accessible by phone, email and online,” said Bonnie Brown, Director of Economic Development. “It’s no longer business as usual, so we continue to look at new ways that we can support local businesses and provide helpful resources during these challenging times.”

The Economic Development Office is offering the following free webinars:
  • Hackers Beware – Protecting what Matters in your Business – April 8
  • Social Media Tactics your Small Business can use during COVID-19 – April 15
  • Becoming Digitally Disruptive – April 21
  • Marketing During a Time of Crisis – April 23
  • Customer Loyalty During and After a Time of Crisis – April 28
  • Selling Online: Everything you need to know in One Awesome Presentation – May 7
  • Selling Online: eCommerce during the Age of the ePocalypse – May 13
  • Rethinking Growth During and After a Time of Crisis – May 20
  • T2 Tax Seminar – June 9

In addition, the following paid webinars are also available.
  • How to use LinkedIn to Grow your Business – May 5
  • 10 Steps to Starting Your Own Business – May 7


COVID-19 Business Relief Portal

In addition, the City has launched a new dedicated online resource for Mississauga’s business community in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The  web portal  is a one-stop site for businesses to get the latest information on government updates, relief packages and services offered by all levels of government.

To learn about the latest updates on actions taken by the City of Mississauga visit  mississauga.ca/coronavirus   or follow @ CityMississauga  on Twitter.
Helpful Resources
The City is working with Peel Public Health and recommend you visit the   Region of Peel Health   site for the most up-to-date details.
 
Peel Public Health has advised that if you develop symptoms of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), please self-isolate and contact Peel Public Health at 905-799-7700 and if you require   immediate medical attention   , please call 911 and advise the operator of your symptoms   but please do not call 911 unless it is an emergency.
 
Below are links you may find useful:



Important Phone Numbers

  • Mississauga 3-1-1 or 905-615-4311 (outside City Limits) available 7am - 7pm
  • Peel Public Health  905-799-7700 Monday - Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm
  • Peel Regional Police Non Emergency Line: 905-453-3311
  • Telehealth Ontario 1-866-797-0000 Toll-free TTY:1-866-797-0007

The  City of Mississauga  and  Region of Peel     websites will be updating their information on a regular basis and will be the best place for the most recent updates for all residents.
 
As always, my office is available to assist residents on municipal or regional matters by e-mail at   karen.ras@mississauga.ca .