Brockton, ON, December 21, 2020 – The Municipality of Brockton’s State of Emergency originally issued on March 23, 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic remains in effect. This afternoon, the Province of Ontario announced that Ontario will enter into a Provincial-wide lockdown effective 12:01 a.m. on December 26, 2020 for a period of 28 days. The Municipality of Brockton continues to prioritize the health and well-being of residents and businesses by following advice from the Grey Bruce Health Unit and Provincial Government. In response to the Provincial lockdown announcement, the following measures have been taken:
Office and Facility Closures
The Brockton Municipal Office will be closed to the public from December 24, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. until January 25, 2021. The Drop-Off Box will be available for residents to drop off documentation and payments, which is checked regularly by staff. Lottery and Marriage Licensing services are available by appointment only. Please contact the Municipal Office at 519-881-2223 to book your licensing appointment. Commissioner of Oath services are suspended until further notice.
Building: Residents wishing to obtain building permits can drop off documentation at the Municipal Office Drop-Off Box or, preferably, via email, and can direct all inquiries via email or telephone to Building Department staff.
Cemetery: Residents are encouraged to call the Municipal Office at 519-881-2223 for all cemetery inquiries.
Taxes and Utility Bill Payments: The tax due date and utility bill due date of March 31, 2021 is still in effect. Residents can drop off payment by cheque or cash to the Municipal Office Drop-Off Box, or sign up for online payments through their banking institution. Visit Brockton.ca/Paymentsfor further instructions on e-Billing services.
Recreation: The Recreation Office at the Walkerton Community Centre is closed to the public until further notice, with the exception of drop-offs for well water samples. Well-water samples can be dropped off at the Walkerton Community Centre between the hours of 8:30-4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Recreation Department inquires can still be made by telephone 519-881-0625 or email [email protected].
All facility rentals, recreational and leisure programs, including private bookings have been postponed until further notice. The Elmwood Community Centre, Cargill and District Community Centre and Bradley School House Community Centre are closed to the public until further notice.
The outdoor skating trail at Lobies Park will be opened to the public (hours and dates to be determined), weather permitting, with users limited to ten (10) individuals with appropriate physical distancing in place.
All other Parks, Trails, Open Spaces and Amenities remain open expect those seasonally closed, where individuals must maintain a physical distance of least two metres apart from others and social gatherings are not to too exceed 10 persons.
The Brockton Child Care Centre remains open but will not be running a school-age program until January 11, 2021 to comply with the provincial directive. Exemptions will be made for children of eligible workers as identified by the Province of Ontario.
Walkerton Business Improvement Area: The Walkerton Business Improvement Area is closed to the public until further notice, but available to member businesses by appointment only.
Landfill Sites
The Greenock Landfill will be closed immediately to all residents to accommodate staff health and safety. Greenock Landfill staff have been transferred to the Brant Landfill to maintain landfill service in rural areas. The Brant Landfill and Walkerton/Hanover Landfills remain open. The Brant Landfill is open Wednesdays – 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and Saturdays – 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The Walkerton/Hanover Landfill is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Holiday Hours: The Brant Landfill is closed December 26, 2020 for Boxing Day. The Walkerton/Hanover Landfill will be open on Thursday, December 24, Tuesday, December 29, Thursday, December 31 and Saturday, January 2, 2021 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and will be closed on Friday, December 25, Saturday, December 26, Wednesday, December 30, and Friday, January 1, 2021.
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic residents are reminded to wear a face covering and maintain physical distancing when attending the Landfills. A limit of 10 vehicles at a time remains in effect for the Brant Landfill. We encourage residents to use curbside pickup whenever possible.
Bag Tags
Residents are encouraged to continue using weekly curbside garbage collection. Residents are encouraged to purchase more than one tag when out getting necessities such as groceries and gas. Bag tags can be purchase for $2.00 each at the following locations:
- Cargill Country Variety – 205 Main Street, Cargill
- Circle K – 189 10th Street, Hanover
- Circle K – 13553 Bruce Road 10, Hanover
- Paisley Freshmart – 436 Queen Street North, Paisley
- Towne Convenience – 420 Durham Street East, Walkerton
- Walkerton Foodland – 125 Durham Street East, Walkerton
- Walkerton Valu Mart – 1200 Yonge Street South, Walkerton
Garbage and Recycling
Household garbage and recycling pickup will continue as scheduled unless otherwise advised. The Walkerton Recycling Depot (MTO Yard) will be closed to the public; however, cardboard recycling and styrofoam drop-off are still available.
Council and Budget Meetings
Council of the Municipality of Brockton will continue to meet remotely via Zoom video-conferencing as scheduled on January 12th and 26th, 2021. The 2021 Municipal Budget meetings will continue as scheduled on January 19th and 20th, 2021 but will also be held remotely via Zoom video-conferencing and streamed to the Municipality of Brockton’s YouTube Channel.
Further Information
The Municipality of Brockton will continue to obtain information and updates from the County of Bruce, The Grey Bruce Health Unit, the Province of Ontario and other health agencies and will provide new information to residents when available. The Municipality of Brockton will continue to take all steps necessary to maintain essential services for our residents and local businesses. Please visit Brockton.ca/COVID19 for updated information for residents and Brockton.ca/BusinessRecovery for updated information about businesses, or call the Municipal Office at 519-881-2223.