News and Updates

City of Toronto urges all residents to follow new provincial order and stay home to stop the spread of COVID-19

The City of Toronto continues to respond to COVID-19. Today, the Province of Ontario declared a provincial emergency and announced that the entire province will be subject to a Stay-at-Home order as of 12:01 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, April 8.

All of Ontario, including Toronto, has been in the Shutdown Zone of the provincial COVID-19 response framework since April 3. Yesterday, the Medical Officer of Health also issued a Section 22 order under the Health Protection and Promotion Act to move all Toronto schools to remote learning until April 18.

City of Toronto working with healthcare and community partners to launch Phase 2 vaccine rollout in priority neighbourhoods

The City of Toronto and Toronto Public Health are working with healthcare partners and community leaders from across Toronto to ensure that Phase 2 vaccines get into the arms that need them most.

In the “Team Toronto” plan for Phase 2, working in partnership, Toronto Public Health, hospitals, Ontario Health Teams, doctors in the community and mobile and pop-up teams to bring vaccines directly to high-risk groups, including high-risk neighbourhoods and essential workers. The plan was created incorporating community feedback, including neighbourhood strategy elements. Team Toronto will be using every dose available to protect the most vulnerable.

City of Toronto supports province-wide Shutdown as COVID-19 cases increase

The City of Toronto continues to respond to COVID-19. Today, the Province of Ontario announced the entire province will move into the Shutdown Zone under the provincial COVID-19 response framework at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 3.

Toronto has been in the Grey Zone since March 8, with some modifications made to ease restrictions. As of Saturday morning, Toronto will join the rest of Ontario in the Shutdown Zone. In Shutdown, fitness classes and training, personal care services and indoor and outdoor dining are not permitted. Indoor social gatherings are prohibited, and outdoor social gatherings are limited to five or fewer people, with very limited exceptions. All persons attending any kind of permitted gathering must maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from any other person they do not live with.

Torontonians age 60 or older eligible for vaccination at City-operated immunization clinics starting Friday

Starting tomorrow, Friday, April 2 at 8 a.m., the City of Toronto has expanded COVID-19 vaccine availability to individuals born in 1961 and earlier. Torontonians aged 60 or older are now eligible to make vaccination appointments online or by phone for City-run COVID-19 immunization clinics and some health partner clinics. Currently, anyone over the age of 70 is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Short-term rental operators in Toronto must file and pay the Municipal Accommodation Tax for the 2021 first quarter by April 30

Short-term rental operators renting homes or rooms for periods of less than 28 consecutive days must be registered with the City of Toronto. In addition, operators need to collect and pay a four per cent Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) on rental revenues. Today, the City launched an online MAT reporting tool. All short-term rental operators are required to report and submit their MAT payment for the first quarter of 2021 by April 30.

City of Toronto vaccination clinics open throughout Easter weekend for eligible residents

The City of Toronto vaccine clinics will be open throughout the Easter weekend to continue to vaccinate all people age 70 and older against COVID-19.

To date, more than 493,867 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Toronto by the City, hospitals, healthcare partners, and pharmacies. More than 71,268 people have booked COVID-19 vaccination appointments at a City-run clinic.

TORONTO NEIGHBOURHOOD SAYS PROPOSED CHANGES TO METROLINX'S ONTARIO LINE WILL DESTROY LOCAL PARKS

Saturday, March 27th 2021 By Phil Tsekouras, Newstalk 1010

Community activists in Toronto’s east-end say that a proposed change to the Ontario Line subway system will effectively destroy some of the neighbourhood’s most beloved parks.

Metrolinx considers significant design change to above-ground section of $11-billion Ontario Line

Friday, March 26, 2021 By Ben Spurr, Toronto Star

Metrolinx is considering significant design changes for a section of the Ontario Line subway, frustrating community groups who say the transit agency isn’t being transparent about how the $11-billion project will impact their neighbourhoods.

The proposed change would affect the contentious two-kilometre portion of the

City of Toronto COVID-19 immunization clinic appointments available to seniors age 70 and older starting tomorrow

The City of Toronto will expand COVID-19 vaccine availability to individuals born in 1951 and earlier as of tomorrow, March 27.

Starting tomorrow at 8 a.m., seniors age 70 or older in 2021 will be able to register to book a COVID-19 vaccination appointment. Eligible seniors can book appointments through the dark blue “Book a Vaccine” button on www.toronto.ca/covid-19 or book by phone through the Provincial Vaccine Information Line at 1-888-999-6488 (TTY 1-866-797-0007). More information on booking options is available on the Province’s What to expect when you get a COVID-19 vaccine webpage: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/get-covid-19-vaccine#how-to-schedule-a-vaccination.

City of Toronto increasing funding for shelter safety measures and working with partners on COVID-19 vaccination for those experiencing homelessness

The City of Toronto is making an additional $3 million available to all shelters, 24-hour respites sites, temporary response programs and daytime drop-ins to support implementation of additional Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) measures. The measures respond to the emergence of COVID-19 variants of concern (VOCs), which create increased risk due to their potentially greater transmissibility.