COVID-19

Covid 19 Update

On Wednesday, March 18 the Town of Aurora declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Ontario. This declaration follows the Ontario government’s announcement that a province-wide state of emergency is now in place and will allow the Town to access additional resources and funding if necessary to help control the spread of the virus.

The health and safety of our residents, visitors and staff is a top priority. The Town of Aurora is working closely with York Region Public Health to monitor COVID-19. This is being done in collaboration with provincial and national health agencies.

Town facility closures & cancellations

In alignment with the Ontario Provincial Government and York Region Public Health, all Town recreation facilities are closed and programs cancelled through to Monday, April 6.

All General Committee and Council meetings are suspended at this time. The next meeting will take place when required with notice being provided to the public when scheduling is confirmed. If you have any questions about General Committee or Council meetings email clerks@aurora.ca
In the interests of employee and community health, the following are now closed to the public, however staff will continue to provide services by phone and email where possible.
- Aurora Town Hall
- Joint Operations Centre
- Stronach Aurora Recreation Complex
- Aurora Family Leisure Complex
- Aurora Community Centre
- Aurora Museum and Cultural Centre
- Aurora Public Library
- Aurora Seniors’ Centre

All programs, permits and camps scheduled during this time, including March Break Camp, are cancelled and will be refunded

Easterpalooza on Saturday, April 11 has been cancelled. Those who purchased wristbands are asked to hold onto them and when facilities reopen they will be issued a refund

Local Planning Appeal Tribunals and Advisory Committee meetings are cancelled
Until further notice, public access to the GFL building has been suspended
Overnight Parking Enforcement has been suspended but will be in place if there is a snow event. Daytime parking enforcement is still active for all general offences
To protect the health & welfare of employees and the public, Aurora's Textile Recycling program has been temporarily suspended until further notice. All Diabetes Canada and Cornerstone to Recovery community bins are closed. We ask that you hold on to all materials at this time.

Please scroll down to see the list of key departmental contacts for the duration of these closures.

Town of Aurora playgrounds closed

REMINDER: All Aurora playgrounds, ball diamonds and soccer fields are closed until further notice. Playgrounds are not sanitized and can very easily spread the COVID-19 virus in our community. Let’s all do our part to keep our community healthy.

In the event residents witness social gatherings the following steps should be taken:

Send an email with day, time, and location to bdepartment@aurora.ca or leave a voicemail at 905-727-3123 ext. 4240 with the date, time, and location of the incident.
All complaints will be investigated, however it would be preferred if complainant left a telephone number and name in the event follow-up is required.

Essential Services

Essential services such as water, wastewater, roads and solid waste collection services are not expected to be affected.

Report an Issue

For up-to-date information about COVID-19

Visit the York Region website for information and resources on COVID-19 or call Health Connection at 1-800-361-5653.

Learn about how the Ontario Ministry of Health is preparing for COVID-19 in Ontario.

The Town will notify the public of future cancellations, openings and updates through:

Website at aurora.ca/covid19
Social media channels

Local media

More COVID-19 News and Notices

March 26 - Aurora closes all public open spaces to help flatten the COVID-19 curve

To encourage social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Town of Aurora will be closing all public open spaces effective immediately including parks, tennis courts, skateboard parks, sports fields, baseball diamonds, basketball courts, playgrounds and the dog park.

“I would like to strongly encourage residents to adhere to the closure of public open spaces in Aurora. We need to flatten the COVID-19 curve, and we can only do this with a global commitment from everyone to practice social distancing and refrain from social gatherings,” says Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas. “Residents can still take a walk, go for a bike ride or sit outside but just maintain a physical distance of at least six feet from each other.”

Trails in Aurora are still open to the public although the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority has closed Sheppard’s Bush Conservation Area. If you decide to use the public trails system in Aurora, you are strongly encouraged to practice social distancing.

We encourage residents to report violations of the public open spaces closure instead of approaching the groups themselves by sending an email with the day, time and location to bdepartment@aurora.ca or leaving a voicemail at 905-727-3123 ext. 4240 with the details mentioned above. All complaints will be investigated. Fines of up to $5,000 may be made in accordance with the Town’s Parks and Public Spaces Bylaw.

Updates on the status of our municipal operations, cancellations and disruptions will be posted on aurora.ca/covid19 as the situation changes. For updates on the status of the COVID-19 virus in York Region, please visit york.ca/covid19.

March 25 - Aurora lists essential services available for residents

Effective Monday, March 23, 2020 the Town of Aurora adjusted operations to provide essential services only in response to the COVID-19 global crisis.

Town staff will continue to respond to calls and emails for essential service requests such as roads, water, bylaw and billing inquiries. We will also have a Report-an-Issue menu that residents can use to help direct their inquiry which can be accessed through aurora.ca/covid19. A range of additional services will also be provided by staff who have been equipped to deliver town services from their home. Response times may vary as we work to establish business processes during this transition.

While our on-site staff have been reduced to a minimum, the Town still has staff available on-call to respond to any emerging issues.

Please see the following list of essential services by department below:

Communications

Website and social media monitoring in place. All inquiries will be responded to.

Community Services

Business support to process cancellations and refunds for community programming and facility booking
Monitoring of all Town facilities for security and safety

Corporate Services

Access Aurora calls and emails accepted for all general inquiries
Bylaw and Animal Services inquiries and limited enforcement operations
Information and Technology Services supporting all Town systems and off-site workers

Finance

Tax and water bill payments and inquiries

Operations

Parks maintenance
Road patrol and road maintenance
Waste & recycling collection and inquiries (Green For Life Environmental Inc. collects waste and recycling in Aurora).
Water and wastewater infrastructure monitoring, maintenance and repair services
Water testing

Planning & Building

Building inspections and permit processing for permits already submitted
Reviewing Planning in process applications, draft agreements and bylaws

Emergency, fire and police services are available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

March 23 - Aurora reduces service levels in response to global COVID-19 concerns

Effective Monday, March 23, 2020 the Town of Aurora will be adjusting operations to provide essential services only. This change is to ensure the safety of our staff and community by reducing the number of employees required to attend their workplace. This action is consistent with the recommendations of Canadian health officials to assist in reducing the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Town staff will continue to respond to calls and emails for essential service requests such as roads, water, bylaw and billing inquiries. We will also have a Report-an-Issue menu that residents can use to help direct their inquiry which can be accessed through aurora.ca/covid19. A range of additional services will also be provided by staff who have been equipped to deliver town services from their home. Residents will be able to directly email or leave a voicemail for the division they need to contact. Response times may vary as we work to establish business processes during this transition.

“The health and safety of our residents and staff continues to be our top priority. We are constantly monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and we are making decisions to best protect our community,” says Town of Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas. “We ask that everyone stay home unless absolutely necessary, practice social distancing and proper hand washing and most of all please stay at home if you’re sick. We need to work together to flatten the curve of the spread of this virus.”

“This is a dynamically evolving situation and in order to protect the health of our community and staff the Town has decided to undergo a significant change in our operations. We will use every effort available to help minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus and get through this challenging time,” says Town of Aurora Chief Administrative Officer Doug Nadorozny.

March 18 - Mayor's message regarding state of emergency

My fellow Aurorans, I wanted to let you know that out of care and concern for our residents the Town of Aurora is declaring a state of emergency. This decision was not made lightly. We are following the lead from the Province of Ontario to ensure that we can properly support the long-term needs of our businesses and residents. Declaring an emergency allows Council and staff to assess the ongoing crisis and provide additional resources to help our community as necessary.

In an effort to ensure the safety of our residents and staff, we have closed Town Hall, the JOC, all recreational facilities, the Aurora Public Library, the Aurora Museum and Cultural Centre and the Aurora Seniors’ Centre. We have also cancelled some of our upcoming events to ensure the spread of this virus is contained. We will still be servicing the needs of the public through email and phone. Services such as water, wastewater, roads, parks maintenance and solid waste collection services are not expected to be affected.

We have also temporarily suspended overnight parking enforcement. This restriction will not apply if we have a snow event. Daytime parking enforcement is still active for all general offences and complaints. We have also approved an exemption to the noise bylaw that will allow deliveries at all times to ensure that our retail businesses and local grocery stores are fully stocked and able to service the needs of our residents. We are also currently in discussions to create some options for tax deferrals which we will announce soon.

We will be meeting with our emergency operations team to see how we can further monitor the situation and support our residents.

My top priority is to keep our citizens safe. Every step and action that we take ensures that the proper procedures are in place to contain and limit the spread of this virus. I hope you are all staying safe and healthy during this COVID-19 crisis and practicing social distancing, washing your hands frequently, containing your cough, avoiding contact with people who are sick and staying home if you are feeling ill.

We need to come together as a Town to help each other and stop the spread of this virus. My sincere thanks and support goes out to all the doctors, nurses and first responders who are committed to taking care of those who are sick. We applaud your efforts to help keep our community safe.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. As always, I am here for you!

Sincerely,

Mayor Tom Mrakas

March 18 - Town of Aurora formally declares state of emergency

Today, Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Ontario. This declaration follows the Ontario government’s announcement that a province-wide state of emergency is now in place and will allow the Town to access additional resources and funding if necessary to help control the spread of the virus.

“These are unprecedented times that call for extraordinary measures,” said Mayor Mrakas. “We need to give residents and businesses confidence that the Town will be positioned to provide whatever assistance is required and by declaring an emergency we are best positioned to do this.”

As a result of this declaration, the Town will also be suspending all General Committee and Council meetings at this time. The next meeting will take place when required with notice being provided to the public when scheduling is confirmed.

The Town of Aurora acknowledges that this is a fluid situation that we are continuously monitoring. The Town is committed to keeping Aurora residents informed through our dedicated webpage aurora.ca/COVID19 and will continue to provide more information about the Town’s response to COVID-19 as it becomes available.

March 17 - General Committee and Council meeting procedures during COVID-19

Update: All General Committee and Council meetings are suspended at this time. The next meeting will take place when required with notice being provided to the public when scheduling is confirmed. If you have any questions about General Committee or Council meetings email clerks@aurora.ca

In an effort to protect staff and the community, the Town of Aurora is taking a proactive approach to social distancing and has closed Town Hall and the Joint Operations Centre to the public as of 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17. Some services will still be available by email, online and telephone.

There will be no delegations allowed at the meeting. If any member of the public wishes to provide Council with comments to any item on the agenda, please email clerks@aurora.ca and this will be forwarded to all Council members.

To view the live meetings, visit aurora.ca/gcstream or view the archived video on the Town of Aurora's YouTube channel.

As well, all Advisory, Ad Hoc and Committee meetings and Local Planning Appeal Tribunals will be cancelled until further notice.

For questions regarding council and committee meetings, please email clerks@aurora.ca.

Updates on the status of our municipal operations will be posted on aurora.ca/covid19 as the situation changes. For updates on the status of the COVID-19 virus in York Region, please visit York.ca/covid19.

March 13 - Town closures and cancellations due to COVID-19

The Town of Aurora is working closely with the Regional Municipality of York and our local community partners to monitor the global situation regarding COVID-19 and respond accordingly. Following the announcement from the Provincial Government yesterday that all schools will be closed until April 6, 2020 the Town is making changes to our programming and instituting closures out of caution for the safety of our residents.

The following changes will be effective as of 12 a.m. Saturday, March 14, 2020 unless otherwise indicated:

Town recreation centres:

All Town recreation centres and arenas will be closed until Monday, April 6, including:
Stronach Aurora Recreation Complex
Aurora Family Leisure Complex
Aurora Community Centre
Aurora Museum and Cultural Centre
Aurora Public Library
Aurora Seniors’ Centre
All programs, permits and camps scheduled during this time, including March Break Camp, will be refunded. Easterpalooza on Saturday, April 11 will be cancelled. Details regarding refunds for programs, permits, camps and events will be communicated early next week.
Council Meetings and General Committee Meetings: Will continue as scheduled. Advisory Committee meetings will be cancelled.

Aurora Town Hall and the Joint Operations Centre will be open although an evaluation of service-levels, staffing and impacts in relation to COVID-19 will be made next week.

Town staff are increasing sanitizing practices on all common touch points and public spaces at all Town facilities. Public education focusing on hand washing and cough etiquette has been increased in high traffic locations and residents who do not feel well are being reminded to stay home.

Other essential services such as water, wastewater, roads and solid waste collection services are not expected to be affected.

The Town will continue to update the webpage aurora.ca/covid19 with any changes to Town services as a result of COVID-19.

Additional Resources

FAQs

What does it mean to declare a state of emergency in a municipality?

The Mayor can declare an emergency that exists in the municipality to protect property, health, safety and welfare of the community. By declaring a state of emergency this allows local, regional and provincial governments to access specific resources as needed and deal with the crisis at hand.

At this stage the declaration of emergency has no financial implications. Should special funding become available the declaration allows us to react quickly to allocate funds.

Will I be refunded for cancelled programs, camps and permits due to COVID-19?

Refunds will be issued for all registered programs (including March Break camps) and facility rental permits cancelled for the period of March 14 to April 5.

Participants who paid by credit card will automatically be refunded to the same credit card. If you paid by another method (cash, debit, cheque) you will be contacted and offered the choice of a credit to your account or a refund by cheque. Any applicable refund fees will be waived.

Club Aurora: All Club Aurora memberships will go on hold for 23 days.

Can I pay my property taxes and water bill online?

Residents and businesses can continue to pay their tax and water bills either online at aurora.ca or through their financial institution’s online banking*. You can also mail in cheques or place them in the secure drop box at Town Hall.

Tax certificate requests and other correspondence should be mailed or placed in the secure drop box at Town Hall.

For more information email info@aurora.ca or call 905-727-3123.

*For paying property taxes, the payee name is Aurora Taxes and your account number is your 19 digit property roll number with no spaces or decimals and can be found in the upper left corner of your property tax bill.

*For paying your water account your payee name is Aurora Water and your account number is the 10 digit number which is located in the upper left corner of your water bill.

If I sign up for Spring and Summer programs and camps, what happens if they end up being cancelled?

If any programs and camps end up being cancelled by the Town, participants will be provided a complete refund, and no administration cost will be incurred.

Can I get an extension to pay my property taxes or water bill?

The Tuesday, April 21, 2020 interim tax installment for residential tax bills will be deferred 2 months to Tuesday, June 23, 2020. This is actually 63 days but results in the bill still being due on a Tuesday should we reopen to the public by then.
Commercial tax bills can be deferred by approval of the Treasurer if they demonstrate in writing that they have passed on this leniency to their tenants. This will be done on a case-by-case basis.
Penalties on taxes will be temporarily suspended until Tuesday, June 30, 2020.
Water bills will continue to be sent out and we ask that residents still continue to pay to the best of their ability. Water bills that are not paid will still be moved to the tax account but will not accrue interest due to the temporary suspension of penalties on taxes.
We will also offer the same flexible options to those on a pre-authorized payment plan. They will have the ability to suspend their tax payments by 2 months. Please contact info@aurora.ca to make these arrangments.

Please contact the Town at info@aurora.ca to put a hold on post dated cheques that you may have provided to the Town for the April 21 property tax bill.

What By-law Services and Animal Services are available to the community during the closure timeframe?

Bylaw and Animal Services officers will continue to remain active in the community and take precautions on a case-by-case basis.

Aurora has temporarily suspended overnight parking enforcement. This restriction will not apply if we have a snow event. Daytime parking enforcement is still active for all general offences and complaints.

We have also approved an exemption to the noise bylaw that will allow deliveries at all times to ensure that our retail businesses and local grocery stores are fully stocked and able to service the needs of residents.

In response to COVID-19 we want to remind residents of the following:

Animal Services will respond to dog bites, contained stray dogs, sick/injured domestic animals, sick/ injured wildlife. Please contact Animal Services at 1-877-979-7297 (PAWS)
Be diligent in practicing social distancing with one another and pets. This means not having play dates or off-leash romps with dogs from other households or interacting with someone else's dog while on a walk.
Keep your cats inside and remember to keep your dogs leashed at all times when outside.
In person sales of dog licences are currently not available. If you’d like to purchase, replace or renew a licence, visit DocuPet or contact them over the phone at 1-855-249-1370.
The Georgina Animal Shelter and Adoption Centre remains closed to the public and will not be accepting any animals for surrender.
The Georgina Animal Shelter is also currently not accepting stray cats due to overflow. As such, all found contained cats would need to be released back outside. However, if the finders take a photo and provide it to Animal Services, they will share it.

Can businesses defer their tax payments during the COVID-19 crisis?

Yes, the Town of Aurora is providing an option for residents and businesses to defer their April 21 property tax payment to June 23 without any penalties or interest being applied until June 30.

The intent of this program is to provide some time to enable the Federal and Provincial governments to begin to provide income support to our residents and businesses.

Please click here to access the form and submit via email with attention to the Treasurer.

Is there any additional support for businesses?

Please visit the latest in business developments.

Physical distancing

The province has banned gatherings of more than 5 people in bid to stop the spread of COVID-19. Let's all do our part to help flatten the curve. Stay home as much as possible and keep at least two meters away from others when out.

Will my waste and recycling service be affected?

No. At this time, all waste and recycling services will not be affected. Green for Life has closed access to their public office until further notice.