UPDATE: Public Access to Municipal Facilities

City Restricting Public Access to Municipal Facilities
Posted on 02/28/2021
Following the Provincial declaration of the COVID-19 Circuit Breaker measures, the City of Charlottetown is taking further steps to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate impacts on municipal services, as the health and safety of residents remains the number one priority.

The municipality is working closely with the government of Prince Edward Island and following the guidance and recommendations from provincial and federal health officials on COVID-19.

Effective on Monday, March 1, 2021 at 12:00 am, the following City facilities will be restricting public access, only open to City of Charlottetown employees:
• City Works Garage (MacAleer Drive)
• Fire Stations 1 and 2 (Kent Street and St. Peter’s Road)
• Police Services Building and Community Room (10 Kirkwood Drive)
• City Hall (199 Queen Street)
• Planning and Heritage Office (70 Kent Street)
• Charlottetown Wastewater Treatment Plant (18 Riverside Drive)

All Community Centres (West Royalty, Malcolm Darrach, Hillsborough Park, Sherwood Rec Hall) are closed to users, with the exception of childcare programs. City Arenas (Cody Banks and Simmons Sports Centre) are also closed to users until Thursday, March 4, 2021. Additional updates will be made as further information becomes available.

Employees will continue to work from these facilities and will assist the public via online, phone, and email services. The public restrictions are a measure to protect residents, City Staff and Council, and ensure essential and emergency services are not jeopardized. These restrictions will also help ensure the two-meters of social distancing continues to be met, as per continued recommendations from the Public Health Office.

Residents are encouraged to use online municipal resources and tools, where available at www.charlottetown.ca. The main switchboard (902-566-5548) is available to the public Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to direct questions to the appropriate department. A full staff directory by department is available online at www.charlottetown.ca/contact_us. The City of Charlottetown is committed to assisting residents and providing required services despite the restricted public access to these buildings.

Following information from the Chief Public Health Office, the City encourages the public and its staff to follow routine prevention measures, including:

• Washing hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds;
• Cough and sneeze into your elbow or a tissue;
• If ill with acute respiratory symptoms, stay home if possible;
• Limit touching your eyes, nose and mouth;
• Don’t share items like drinking glasses and water bottles;
• Continue practicing social distancing
• Frequently clean surfaces like taps, doorknobs and countertops.

For up-to-date information on COVID-19, including the latest information, advice for travellers and FAQs, visit: www.princeedwardisland.ca/covid19 or call the general information line at 1-800-958-6400. Islanders are also encouraged to call 1-833-533-9333 for health questions, testing, services, and business programs, 8-1-1 if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, and 2-1-1 for community, social, non-clinical health and government services.

The City of Charlottetown continues to monitor the CPHO and directives closely and will provide updates as required.

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Backgrounder:
Effective on Monday, March 1, 2021, the following City facilities will be restricting public access, only open to City of Charlottetown employees: Read the following for more information on what this means for specific services:
City Works Garage – Restrictions to all visitors and guests. Deliveries will be pre-arranged and contact will be limited as much as possible.

Fire Stations 1 & 2 – Restrictions to all visitors and guests. The firefighters club/entertainment space will also be closed. The station will be focusing on fire and emergency response and working to ensure essential workers are kept safe and healthy. Fire fighters will be practicing social distancing and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) when called to a scene. Training and team meetings have been cancelled until further notice. In the case of an emergency, call 9-1-1.

Charlottetown Police Services – Charlottetown Police Services has ceased processing any Volunteer Criminal Records Checks. If an individual is in immediate need of such a check, these are available through the following local businesses:
• C5 ID - (office located at 393 University Avenue) or call 902-892-1211
• Global ID Service – (office located at 119 Kent St Suite 160) or call 902- 892-0002
In addition, in an effort to reduce contact and keep social distancing, access to the Police building is being restricted and the public is encouraged to pay parking tickets online at: https://paypark.charlottetown.ca/pay/. Also, where possible, members of the public who wish to file a police report are encouraged to do so through the non-emergency line at 902-629-4172. In the case of an emergency, call 9-1-1.

City Hall – Charlottetown City Hall will be closed to the public, visitor access is restricted until further notice. Meetings of Council, standing committees, and advisory board meetings will be held via conference calls, Webex video conferencing, Zoom, and/or Microsoft Teams. All Council Meetings, with the exception of closed sessions, will be live-streamed on the City of Charlottetown website. Webex and other video conferencing links will also be available on meeting agendas, which are posted on the City’s website. Individuals who have meetings scheduled are advised to reach out to the organizer to confirm the meeting status. Sanitization procedures within the building have increased and additional staff resources have been brought in to assist.

Tender and Procurement Notice - Paper submissions may be dropped off to the tender box at City Hall, in the vestibule located in the main entrance at 199 Queen Street. The date, time, and initials of the bidder shall be documented on the outside of the envelope at the time the document is put into the tender box. This location will be monitored by a camera to ensure that all submissions were received prior to the closing date and time.

To accommodate those bidders who may not be able to drop off a paper-based submission, the City will be accepting electronic submissions by email at [email protected] no later than the closing date and time in the respective tender document. Any changes to a particular tender, RFP, or RFQ will continue to be dealt with using addendums specific to that tender document. Any schedule site visits will continue as planned while adhering to recommendations regarding social distancing, handwashing, etc.

Tender openings will be videotaped and made available to the public on the City’s website at www.charlottetown.ca under Business and Development.

Planning and Heritage – The Planning and Heritage office has closed to the public, visitor access is restricted until further notice. Developers and members of the public who are looking for information on applications and permits can contact 902-629-4158 Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or email [email protected]. A drop box has been installed at inside the first door at City Hall for anyone looking to deliver documents and or applications for processing. Essential staff remain in the building and processing is continuing. Building inspectors will continue to work in the field, taking special precautions and practising social distancing.

Charlottetown Wastewater Treatment Plant – The WWTP is closed to nonessential public access. Septage receiving will remain open for dumping. There will be no access to the administrative office.