Author: Councillor Brad Clark

General Statement on Enforcement Priorities

The Hamilton Police Service together with the City of Hamilton’s Licensing and Bylaw Services are monitoring and, where necessary, using enforcement tools to ensure public safety in our community. Priority is being given to enforcement of the Provincial Orders requiring non-essential businesses to close and prohibiting organized gatherings of more than 50 individuals, as well as monitoring closed City facilities such as Albion Falls.  Enforcement authority with respect to the Provincial Orders rests with the Hamilton Police Services, but City of Hamilton By-law Officers are providing support to the Police as needed.

1. Businesses and Business Operations

The Provincial Government has ordered that all non-essential businesses close for the next two weeks.  The Province has released a list of what businesses are considered essential, and are therefore permitted to remain open.  This can be found at: https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/03/list-of-essential-workplaces.html

Each individual business will need to examine the provincial criteria to determine whether their business is considered essential or non-essential. The province has launched a toll-free line 1-888-444-3659 to provide support to Ontario businesses who have questions about the Provincial Order.

Businesses found in violation of the Provincial Order may be fined by the Hamilton Police Service.  Individuals may be liable for a fine up to $1000 for their first offence, with a corporation liable for a fine up to $500,000   If you suspect any business of operating contrary to the Provincial Order, please contact Licensing Enforcement Team at the City of Hamilton Contact Centre at 905 546-2489.

Licensing Officers will assist the Hamilton Police Service to investigate violations of this Provincial Order.

If any Business or Employee of the Business is not following proper hygiene or precautions, this can be reported to Public Health at – COVID19 Response phscovid19@hamilton.ca or call the hotline at (905)  974-9848

If any Employee of a Business has safety concerns while on the job it should be reported to their Health and Safety representative or the Ministry of Labour, Health and Safety Centre 1-877-202-0008

2. Organized Gatherings of 50 or More People

The Province has made an order prohibiting organized gatherings of more than 50 individuals.  This only applies to organized gatherings, and does not include public spaces, stores, etc. where more than 50 people happen to be at a given point of time.

This order is enforced through the Hamilton Police Services, not Licensing and Bylaw Services. If members of the public observe an organized gathering of more than 50 people, they can contact Hamilton Police Services at 905 546-4925.

Licensing and Bylaw Services will periodically monitor high traffic public areas to determine if there are additional measures that need to be taken by the City.

3. Closed Parks –  Albion Falls

Albion Falls, as well as Hamilton Conservation Authority conservation areas, have been closed to the public.  This means no one should park in the areas or access the trails or the parks.  Municipal Law Enforcement Officers will monitor these areas and will enforce if necessary, if anyone is in the park illegally.  Municipal Law Enforcement can be reached by calling the City of Hamilton Contact Centre at 905 546-2489.  City of Hamilton Parking Officers will also be enforcing parking restrictions at these areas.

4. High Traffic Public Spaces – City Parks, Trails and Stairways

The City of Hamilton strongly encourages everyone to follow the advice of Public Health officials and to physically separate from one another. That includes in public spaces, such as on trails, sidewalks, or in parks.

To ensure public safety in public spaces, the City has taken a number of actions.

Playground equipment and park structures such as benches are not sanitized, so the City has announced that this equipment is closed, and therefore use of this equipment is prohibited until further notice. Municipal Law Enforcement officers will periodically proactively monitor these areas.

Signage is being placed in some locations where there have been larger numbers of people, such as on the Escarpment stairs, cautioning the public to limit use to essential travel and to practice physical distancing.  If you don’t need to use the stairs, stay off them.

The City’s by-law officers are also monitoring and patrolling high traffic public spaces across the City. If members of the public observe a location where individuals are not practicing physical distancing, they are advised to avoid those areas.

5. Enforcement of Physical Distancing

Physical distancing is a matter of personal responsibility. It is not something that is enforceable by City by-law officers.

Public health officials at all levels of Government, including Dr. Richardson, the Medical Officer of Health for the City of Hamilton, strongly recommend that everyone should be avoiding close contact with others. Close contact includes being within 2 meters (6 feet) of another person. It is everyone’s personal responsibility to practice physical distancing.  We are at a critical point in the evolution of this outbreak in Hamilton, and Canada, and it is up to all of us to influence how this unfolds. 

To the extent possible, public health officials are strongly recommending that people stay home.

When they do need to go out, they should be practicing physical distancing. This applies to people walking on the street, shopping in stores, working in their workplace, and everywhere else that people may come into contact with others.

While the City does not have the authority to enforce physical distancing through fines or by-laws, the City has been very aggressively and strongly communicating to the public that they should be physically distancing, both for their own safety and for the safety of others.

If members of the public witness locations where others are not practicing social distancing, they are recommended to avoid those locations.

Parking Operations

• Municipal Car Parks (MCPS) – Payment and Enforcement continues at this time
• On Street Parking Meters – Payment and Enforcement continues at this time
• Permits (MCPS, Time Limit, etc) will be honored until HMPS Public Services re-open (IE March Permits Expirations)
• Regulation Change Requests, Petitions, etc services will be suspended

Parking Enforcement

• Enforcement surrounding Residential Permits, Time Limits (12 hr, 1 hr etc) has been relaxed to help those working from home or self isolating.
• Enforcement continues for safety-related concerns such as Fire Routes, No Parking, No Stopping, Corner Clearances, and Cross-walks
• Parking Meter and MCP Enforcement continues
• MTO Accessible Parking Permits (On street and Private Property) Enforcement continues
• Alternate Side Enforcement continues
• Towing is being limited to safety concerns (priority tows such as blocked driveways)

Administrative Penalty Disputes – Tickets

• Email and Phone Screening Reviews (Disputes) will continue and can be arranged by contacting HMPS (see below for contacts).  In person screenings are not being conducted.
• Hearings will be postponed until May 2020 which can still be requested and scheduled via Email and Phone

Property Taxes

As a result of a motion approved by Council on March 20, our General Manager of Finance and his staff are reviewing options and preparing a report back with respect to providing residents and businesses with tax relief.  This relief could include waiving penalties, waiving interest, tax deferrals and/or targeted tax deferrals (e.g. low income, seniors).

Corporate Services staff will be reviewing these options as it relates to the upcoming April 30, 2020 tax installments.  It is important to note that, because municipalities approve their budgets during different periods of the year, their installment dates vary too.  Some municipalities that have already announced tax relief initiatives as a result of COVID19 have done so because their next installments are due more immediately (i.e. March 15 or 31). 

Hamilton property owners meet their property tax obligations through a variety of payment options. Therefore Corporate Services staff, in consultation with other departments, will be reviewing tax relief options in an effort to assess impact given these various payment options. 

Staff will also be consulting with Alectra Utilities, as the City’s water/wastewater billing agent, to discuss potential payment deferrals/waivers.

The timing of the report back to Council will seek to ensure Council has appropriate time to review, while providing local property taxpayers with appropriate time to assess their payment options.

The City of Hamilton’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has announced the followed changes to municipal services:

HSR UPDATE: Essential Travel Only
As an additional measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Hamilton, the City and HSR are asking that customers use HSR only if absolutely necessary to pick up essentials such as groceries, to attend medical appointments, or to go to work if they are not able to work from home. NOTE: Customers experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or who are going to an assessment centre for testing are asked to avoid public transit.

Customers are requested to practice physical distancing while riding the bus as much as possible. HSR is continuing to adjust schedules and is adding supplemental service on selected routes to help mitigate crowding and improve physical distancing.

CLOSURE: HUNTER STREET GO STATION TICKET COUNTER will be closed as of Tuesday March 24, 2020 HSR Customer Service Centre (36 Hunter St. E.) will be closed until at least April 6, 2020. Customers will be required to wait until further notice to purchase any HSR fare products, including tickets, passes, DARTS Books, Taxi Scrips, and renewals of Senior Annual Passes.

Senior Annual Pass holders do not need to renew their passes even though their current Pass may expire March 31, 2020. We want to assure you that you will not be denied service, and will have ample time to renew your pass once service is back to normal.

Suspension of Taxi Scrip Service The Taxi Script program has been suspended until further notice. If you are a current Taxi Scrip or DARTS client, you may call 905-529-1717 to book an essential trip, using your Client ID number. New applications for ATS/DARTS can be mailed to ATS, P.O. Box 340 Mount Hope, Ontario L0R 1W0.

Waste Collection Update: At the time of this media release, the City is continuing to work through issues with our waste collections service. Residents who had waste collection scheduled for today but did not get their waste collected, should put their waste out at the curb again tomorrow. We are continuing to review the provision of waste collections and will provide updates as we have them.

Leaf and Yard waste suspended beginning tomorrow Beginning Tuesday, March 24, the City will suspend curbside pick up of leaf and yard waste until further notice. Residents are directed to either hold on to their leaf and yard waste, or take it to one of the Community Recycling Centres.

Keeping Collectors Healthy The City of Hamilton waste collection crews are still out on the streets, picking up green bins, blue boxes and garbage. While crews have their own health and safety procedures in place, residents are asked to help protect them on the job:

• Place used tissues and napkins in the garbage, rather than the green bin.
• Please use liner bags (either paper or certified compostable plastic) in the green bin.
• Please ensure that all material placed in garbage bins is bagged, not kept loose.
• Please follow the advice of Public Health and keep a physical social distance of at least two metres from waste collection staff.

These steps will help protect the health of crews who handle thousands of bins, bags and boxes each week.

Playground structures Closed
Beginning Tuesday, March 24, the City will be posting closure signs at all playground structures across Hamilton. Residents are advised that playground structures are closed until further notice. The City is strongly recommending that residents do not use City park equipment. Residents are welcome to enjoy park greenspaces in small groups while observing physical distancing practices. PLEASE NOTE that park equipment and play structures are not sanitized.

Parking Enforcement Updates: In order to accommodate members of the community who may be self-isolating, working from home or caring for others, while balancing road safety, availability of parking and safe traffic circulation, the City is announcing the following updates to parking:

• 30 free minutes at all municipal car parks (except York Parkade and Convention Centre) and at all on-street meters in order to support drop-off, pick-up and take-out services.
• Until further notice, enforcement of the following parking regulations has been suspended:
  • 12-hour time limit for parking on City streets.
  • On-street signed time limit regulations such as 1, 2 and 3 hour time limits in residential areas.
  • Time limit exemption permits for City Streets with posted time limits.
  • Parking related fines for vehicles with expired Ontario License Plate Stickers.
  • Commercial Vehicle Time Limit Regulation for vehicles that may need to remain on street during this time.
  • The above parking offences may still be enforced in exceptional circumstances where a significant traffic safety, and/or of community concern exists.
• All other parking offences will continue to be enforced. This includes No Stopping and No Parking Offences. This is to ensure traffic and pedestrian safety.
• For any inquires relating to the above please contact parking@hamilton.ca or call 905-540-6000

Supporting our vulnerable residents: The City’s EOC activated a lead last week to ensure that we are supporting our most vulnerable residents. To date, that work focuses on:

• Supporting vulnerable residents identified and referred by Public Health to assist with food and basic needs
• Providing and coordinating emergency funding to extend services and supports at some local agencies to continue service until the end of April
• Collaboration with youth and other drop-in centres to expand their services as a location for hygiene and food
• Establishing an Isolation Centre to provide food and shelter to any individuals that currently are in the shelter system that test positive for COVID-19
• Exploring online supports for children and older adults to help during their stay-at-home period
• Looking at ways to help housing providers support their residents and review and change their processes to reduce contact during unit offers, unit viewing and lease signing processes

Additional Resources

• For regular City of Hamilton COVID-19 updates, please visit www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus and www.hamilton.ca/covidclosures
• Visit www.ontario.ca/coronavirus to learn more about how the province continues to protect Ontarians from COVID-19

Public Health Services’ COVID-19 Hotline 905-974-9848 or phscovid19@hamilton.ca

Dear Residents of Ward 9,

During the COVID-19 public health emergency, my staff and I will remain accessible to you.  My assistant, Robert, and I will be safely working from our home offices. We will be answering your questions or responding to your concerns via email or phone. Please know that I will continue to work hard for you on City Council and get things done in Ward 9.

Even though City Hall is closed to the general public, there are still many options to get in touch with me. You can call my City Hall office at 905-546-2703 or send me an email at brad.clark@hamilton.ca  

For after-hours or urgent City-related matters, you can call 905-546-CITY (2489). You can also conduct many transactions with the City online, the list is available at www.hamilton.ca/onlinecityservices .

Information regarding the local response to COVID-19 is available at www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus

If you have concerns or questions about possible exposure to COVID-19, please call the Public Health Department on the COVID-19 Hotline 905-974-9848 or call your family physician.

I urge you to stay informed about COVID-19 by following the expert advice of Hamilton Public Health and your personal health care professionals.

Serving you and the City of Hamilton is an honour and privilege, which I take very seriously. During this unprecedented public health emergency, please know that I am here to assist you.

Stay safe and may God bless you,

Councillor Brad Clark