City Responds to COVID-19 Crisis

This is an update concerning the City of Ottawa's response to the COVID-19 public health crisis. 

• On March 13, 2020 the City entered Activated Operations in response to the COVID-19 global
• On March 17, 2020 the Province of Ontario declared a provincial state of emergency.
• The City continues to work with Ottawa Public Health and local health partners to help prevent the further spread of COVID-19 in
• We are monitoring the spread of the virus and will provide updates when they are
• http://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/Coronavirus is the best source of local information on COVID-19.
• http://www.ottawa.ca/covid19 is the best source of information for the City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

City services currently available

• Property taxes:
  • You can pay online by credit or Visa debit or through your financial institution.
  • You can pay in person by cheque. Ensure that the amount on the cheque reflects the exact amount owing and includes the 19-digit tax roll number shown on your tax bill. Please drop the cheque off in the secure payment box outside the main entrances of:
    • Kanata Client Service Centre at 580 Terry Fox Drive
    • Orleans Client Service Centre at 255 Centrum Boulevard
  • Payments are processed on business days
• Water bills:
  • Pay online with My ServiceOttawa or through your financial institution.
• Provincial offences and parking tickets:
  • Call 3-1-1 and follow the
• Other online services:
  • Register or renew a pet registration
  • Apply for or renew an open air fire permit
  • Pay a parking or traffic ticket
  • Apply for a Food Premise Business License
  • Load or manage a Presto Card
• If you are unable to access City services online, please call 3-1-1 so we can assist

Changes to City facilities and services

• We ask for your patience as we work through this unprecedented situation. There may be a delay in providing some regular City services. Business continues, but it may not be exactly business as
• The main foyer at City Hall is open to the public, however only City employees have access to work
• The Chief Licensing Inspector will extend the renewal dates for licenses expiring in March and
• Only property standards complaints with immediate health and safety risks and vital services complaints will be
• The Spay/Neuter Clinic will triage clients before their appointment. If you are sick, caring for someone who is sick or have recently travelled, please reschedule your

Closed City facilities and services

• The following City facilities and services are closed to the public based on the Ministry of Health’s guidance to limit mass gatherings to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:
  • All counter services
  • All Ottawa Public Library branches
  • All City of Ottawa client service centres
  • All OC Transpo customer service centres
  • All municipal child care centres
  • Mary Pitt Centre at 100 Constellation Drive
  • Ben Franklin Place at 101 Centrepointe Drive
  • Trail Waste Facility
  • Building Code Services counters
  • Rooming house inspections
  • Taxi inspections
  • All hearings by the Animal Control Tribunal and the Property Standards and License Appeals Committee
  • Interior noise meter readings between 7 am and 11 pm
  • Child car seat inspections
  • CPR/First Aid training sessions
  • Palliative Care Program
  • The Provincial Offences Act All Provincial Offences Act matters scheduled from Monday, March 16, 2020 to Friday, April 3, 2020 will be adjourned and rescheduled. You will receive a notice of your new court date by mail at the address on file with the court.
  • All recreation and cultural facilities, including recreation complexes, community centers, arenas, swimming pools, theatres and
    • Rental fees will be refunded
    • All Active Ottawa fitness memberships will be extended automatically for the duration the facility is closed, beginning March 16,
  • City programs, including March break camps and fitness
    • Program fees will be refunded
  • Performances at the Shenkman and Meridian
  • In-person public consultations, including for the Ward Boundary Review and the Community Safety and Well-being
    • You can still participate through online surveys.

Public transit

• OC Transpo is committed to keeping customers and staff
• Do not use public transit if you have a fever, new cough or difficulty breathing, or if you have been in close contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19.
• OC Transpo has taken measures, such as rear-door boarding and exiting, to help protect residents and
• To protect yourself and others while using public transit:
  • Cover your cough and sneeze with a tissue or your sleeve, not your
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and
  • When possible, consider social distancing (ideally two metres).
  • Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water or use hand sanitizer before you touch your eyes, nose or mouth, and as soon as possible when you reach your

Parking restrictions

• All overtime parking, signed or unsigned, will no longer be enforced on residential streets until further notice. This is to encourage and support residents to stay at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• All other parking restrictions, including, no stopping, no parking, fire route, accessible parking, minimum distance from fire hydrants and no parking on sidewalks to maintain emergency access and traffic flow, remain in effect.
• Complaints for unauthorized parking on private property now require new electronic procedures for proof of

Long-term care homes

• Seniors are vulnerable to serious and life-threatening complications from COVID-19.
• An extensive screening process has been instituted in our long-term care
• Any visitors or staff who feel ill, have been in contact with someone not feeling well or have recently travelled outside Canada, should not visit to protect their loved ones and their fellow

International travel

• The Government of Canada recommends avoiding all non-essential travel outside Canada. Upon return to Canada, residents should self- isolate for 14 days from their

Drinking water

• Ottawa’s tap water is
• Our water purification plants effectively handle all viruses, including COVID-19, by chlorine disinfection and other physical and chemical processes. We are continuously analyzing and monitoring the water disinfection

Property tax deferral

• City staff will table an interim property tax payment grace period and new 2020 property tax deferral for Council approval on March 25, or at the earliest available
• In response to the financial impact of the uncertainty of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, a new 2020 Property Tax Hardship Deferral program will assist affected small businesses with an assessed property value of up to $ 2.5 million, as well as
• The program will extend the interim property and final property tax deadlines of March 19 and June 18, respectively, to Friday, October 30,
• The City has also suspended all water disconnections due to non- payment until further
• The City has existing property tax and water bill deferral programs for low-income seniors and people with disabilities. Under these programs, eligible homeowners can apply for partial or full deferral of their annual property taxes and a deferral of their water utility
• The City also has a Farm Grant Program that allows farm property owners to move the deadline of the final property tax payment to December 8,
• For more information, residents can visit: ca/covid19.