As part of our ongoing efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, and in keeping with the Province of Ontario’s declaration of a State of Emergency, the City of Stratford has closed its administrative buildings to the public, until further notice. The City will continue to provide services to the community, including Social Services to our clients in Stratford, Perth County and St. Marys.
List of Services Being Provided
| Cemetery Operations |
| Cemetery operations continue to be provided. For questions please call 519-271-0250 Ext. 244. |
| Parks |
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The parks system continues to be maintained, but all outdoor recreational amenities are closed. That includes all playgrounds, sports fields, basketball and tennis courts, off-leash dog parks, benches, all-wheels skate park, picnic areas, outdoor community gardens, park shelters, outdoor exercise equipment, condo parks and gardens. Green spaces in parks, trails and river areas remain open for walkthrough access, but individuals must maintain a safe distance of at least two metres apart from others while in these areas. |
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Transit |
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Stratford Transit will continue to operate and we are directing riders to enter and exit only through the back door of the buses. Those with mobility issues can still enter from the front door, where the ramp/kneeling options are available, but we ask those individuals to practice social distancing from our drivers. Payment is not required to ride, and bypassing the fare box will help to reinforce social distancing on the buses for our drivers and members of the public. This will continue until the end of the day August 30, 2020, after which we will re-assess the situation. |
| Property Taxes |
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The City will be waiving penalty and interest related to the April 9 property tax installment due-date and will be stopping all progressive collection activities until August 30, 2020. This will give residents and businesses a chance to make payments when they can over the next 4 months. The City will review this on an ongoing basis and continue to be responsive to the needs of our community. We ask residents that have the financial means to make their tax payments by April 9 to do so. Statements can be requested by emailing taxinfo@stratford.ca. Pre-authorized payment for property taxes can be submitted to: www.stratford.ca/preauthorized. |
| Licensing |
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Pet, business and lottery licencing will continue. Applications can be submitted via email Clerk's Office or completed over the telephone 519-271-0250 Ext. 237. Payments by credit card can also be made over the phone or a cheque can be mailed to the Clerk's Office, City Hall, P.O. Box 818, 1 Wellington Street, Stratford, ON N5A 6W1 or placed in the drop box at the back of City Hall. |
| Parking |
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Free parking will be provided until May 31, 2020 or the commencement of the Festival Theatre season. All other provisions of the City's Traffic and Parking by-law remain in force and effect. Payments for parking tickets and permits can be made by credit card over the telephone at 519-271-0250 Ext. 237. Cheques can also be mailed to the Clerk's Office, City Hall, P.O. Box 818, 1 Wellington Street, Stratford, ON N5A 6W1 or placed in the drop box at the back of City Hall. Requests for a parking ticket review can be completed over the telephone or through the City’s website at: https://forms.stratford.ca/IT-Services/Clerks-Corporate-Services/Request-for-Review |
| Development Services (Planning) |
The following services are being provided.
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Development Services (Building & By-law Enforcement) |
The following services are continuing to be provided:
For unsafe buildings requiring immediate attention, call 519-271-0250 Ext. 345. For unsafe pool fences, call 519-271-0250 Ext. 345. |
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Roads and Streets |
The following activities related to roads and streets are continuing:
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| Waste and Recycling Collection |
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There is no change to curbside garbage and recyling collection. Landfill operations will be closed to the public starting Saturday, March 21. The Landfill will still be open to commercial customers and the curbside collection contractor from Monday to Friday during normal working hours. Bag tags can be purchased at the following locations:
Green Bin collection is set to begin the week of April 6, 2020. |
| Water Operations, Wastewater Treatment and Sewers |
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The City will be waiving penalties, interest, late payment charges and other fees related to water and sewer billing and will be suspending all progressive collection activities until August 30, 2020. In addition, water meter disconnections will be suspended until August 30, 2020. The transfer of overdue water accounts to the property tax account will also be suspended to assist landlords. Emergency repairs and ongoing required operations will continue. This includes operations around water quality, spills, floods, and storm response, along with emergency water shutoff/repair and sewer lateral services. To report:
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| Emergency Services |
| Essential and emergency services will continue to be provided. |
| Fire Services |
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If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 9-1-1. Fire services will be responding to all emergency calls. If your call is not an emergency, please call 519-271-3212 or email Fire Dispatch. All fire stations will be closed to the public. |
| Airport |
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The airport is open but the terminal is closed to the public. Questions about the airport can be directed to the Operations Manager, Andy Woodham, at (519) 272-0933. |
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Homelessness Prevention |
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Emergency Housing will continue to be provided to clients if they are eligible for services. The limit of emergency nights in motel stays will be waived for homeless persons who require emergency accommodation for self-isolation. |
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Housing Services |
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All maintenance work orders will be prioritized to focus on essential services (e.g. plumbing, electrical, unit repairs required to meet Ontario Building Code, Fire Code, security, etc.). Should a rent geared to income tenant experience a loss of income during this period, they should contact our office at 519-271-3773 Ext. 200. No cash or debit options are available at this time. Rent will only be acceptable by pre-authorized payments (excluding Britannia), cheque or money order. Cheques and money orders can be submitted in the drop boxes at 82 Erie St., Stratford or 330 Wallace St., Listowel or sent by mail. |
| Ontario Works |
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All appointments will be completed over the telephone, 519-271-3773 Ext. 200, with signatures on the form required at a later date. A risk-based approach will be utilized for completing these intakes, as documents can be provided after the grant date unless there is clear evidence that the client may be ineligible due to excess earnings or assets. Clients may submit documents via the drop boxes at the following locations:
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Questions about Services |
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For questions about services being provided, please contact the City departments:
Questions can also be submitted by email to the Clerk's office. |
Facilities
| Facilities that remain OPEN to the public |
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Exterior washrooms at City Hall |
| Facilities that are CLOSED to the public |
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| Stratford Public Library |
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The Stratford Public Library building is closed to the public, but there are a number of services that continue to be offered, including new card registrations, card renewals, and email reference service at askspl@pcin.on.ca. Digital collections continue to be offered including access to thousands of downloadable ebooks and audiobooks, streaming videos, online magazines and research magazines. Find these resources on the library website. No late fees will occur during the library closure and customers are requested to keep checked out materials with them until the library reopens. |
Meetings, Programs and Events
| Meetings, programs and events that have been CANCELLED until further notice |
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