North Bay City Hall will be opening its doors to the public on July 16, as Ontario moves to Stage 3 of its COVID-19 reopening.
Mayor Al McDonald is full of praise for the North Bay community.
“Moving to Stage 3 is a reminder of the great job that we’ve done as a community in following all of the COVID-19 protocols and preventing the spread of the virus. We are proud to have one of the lowest positive case ratios in the province,” the Mayor said in a statement.
City Hall will be offering limited in-person services on its first floor. On weekdays from 9 am to 4 pm, the public will be able to make in-person tax payments, handle parking tickets, purchase parking passes and acquire burn permits.
Residents are still encouraged to continue to use online resources when they can to avoid high volumes of people indoors.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, North Bay City Hall services have been available predominantly online. Certain services such as marriage or business licenses have been issued on an appointment-only basis and will remain as such.
Gord Young, the city’s Communications Officer, isn’t sure what the demand will be like once City Hall’s doors open.
“It’s been a number of months now and a lot of tax payments have come and gone. The provincial offences court is still suspended so it’s tough to say what the demand will be,” says Young.
Staying in line with keeping the public safe, City Hall will also have physical distancing and safety measures in place. Similar to most other businesses, lines will direct people where to go to ensure physical distancing.
Residents who enter the building must sanitize their hands, wear face coverings and practice physical distancing.
