Back to SearchEffective today, Tuesday, March 15 at 12:01 a.m., the City of Port Colborne, along with the Niagara Region and our fellow municipalities, officially ended the municipal States of Emergency that have been in place since April 3, 2020, as they are no longer necessary.
Read Media Release: Regional Chair Bradley and Niagara’s 12 mayors make joint decision to end the State of Emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic
As we continue to observe a decrease in cases, hospitalization, and loss of life, standing down from our emergency declaration is another way we are learning how to transition living with and managing COVID-19.
To every Port Colborne resident who did their part over the past two years – thank you.
Together we made sacrifices and took proactive measures to protect ourselves, our family, and our neighbours.
We stayed home.
We quarantined.
We took care of others and unfortunately, we lost loved ones.
Some of you turned your dining room tables into classrooms and/or offices.
Some of you left your jobs to take care of your family.
Some of you closed the doors to your business temporarily or for good.
Some of you have been essential workers in our healthcare system, emergency services, and grocery and retail stores.
Throughout this pandemic we have also been faced with a variety of storms, and our hydro crews, tree contractors, and public works crews were there to respond.
Port Colborne, you showed we’re resilient by finding creative ways to continue to operate and support our community.
As we begin to re-connect and restrictions ease, we must remember it’s not over quite yet, and we still need to take steps to protect ourselves and reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. I also ask that you be considerate of your neighbours who may have different comfort levels than yourself.
If you have not been vaccinated, I ask that you visit Niagara Region Public Health’s website for more information and upcoming vaccination clinic dates. The next one scheduled for Port Colborne is at our Visitor Information Centre on Friday, March 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
As a city we continue to do our part. Our Emergency Control Group meets regularly to monitor key public health indicators and direction from the province and Niagara Region Public Health.
We’ve been re-connecting with all of you as our city facilities resumed in person services and in alignment with the provincial government, the city also lifted proof of vaccination requirements in our facilities.
Beginning Monday, March 21 visitors to City facilities are no longer required to wear masks; however, staff will continue to wear masks for a little while longer to ensure we can remain open to serve our residents.
We’re planning for council meetings to return in-person and will provide updates with the confirmed date. For more information about council meetings, please visit our website.
Events are slowly returning with our Top Hat Ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Welland Canal on Thursday, March 24; our Easter Egg Hunt will return to the Vale Health & Wellness Centre on April 16; and our signature event, Canal Days, will return July 29 – Aug.1.
I would also like to take this time to thank our city staff. Our staff who continued to work in the field every day, ensuring we have clean drinking water, safe roads to travel on, parks to plays in, firefighters who kept us safe 24/7, library staff who picked out books, board games and DVD’s for curbside pick-up to keep us busy at home, museum staff who converted our history online so we could continue to learn, administrative staff who adopted working from home to keep the City operating, and our communications staff who have kept us all updated. Thank you for your hard work and commitment to our residents.
We’re coming out of the pandemic together, Port Colborne; but it will leave a lasting impact on our community. We need to work together to stay healthy and stay connected.
To learn more about how the city is moving forward, visit our website at www.portcolborne.ca and be sure to follow us on social media.
- Mayor Bill Steele
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