COVID-19 City of Niagara Falls Community Update: March 30, 2020

Please note the following City of Niagara Falls COVID-19 updates and service changes, including announcements from the Government of Ontario:

Transit Updates

Transit will be further reducing WEGO Red Line service to and from Table Rock along Niagara Parkway shortly to mitigate non-essential travel to that location and Niagara Parks Commission properties as they are closed at present.
- Schedules are posted online: https://niagarafalls.ca/living/transit/bus-routes.aspx

Ontario Government: Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act

On Saturday, March 28th, the Ontario government issued a new immediate Emergency Order under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act to prohibit organized public events and social gatherings of more than five people.
This order doesn’t apply to private households with five people or more.
It also doesn’t apply to operating child care centres supporting frontline health care workers and first responders provided the number of persons at each centre does not exceed 50 people.
Funerals would be permitted to proceed with up to 10 people at one time. This order replaces a previous emergency order which prohibited organized public events of over 50 people.

Municipal Enforcement of Social Gatherings:

The City of Niagara Falls will continue to monitor and prohibit social gatherings in parks, parking lots, or other vacant areas to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Municipal Enforcement staff will continue to enforce Municipal By-laws, and monitor and disperse any public gathering observed throughout the City.
Complaints regarding social gatherings more than 5 people on public or private property can be reported to buildingcomplaints@niagarafalls.ca

Ontario Government: Unfair Prices for Necessary Goods Order

The Provincial government has issued an emergency order that retail businesses and individuals in Ontario cannot charge unfair prices for necessary goods.
Individual offenders can face a ticket of $750, or, if summoned to court and convicted, could face a maximum penalty of a $100,000 fine and one year in jail.
If convicted, a company director or officer could face a fine of up to $500,000 and up to a year in jail, and a corporation could face a fine of up to $10 million.
Consumers can report an individual who is price gouging by filing a complaint at 1-800-889-9768 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, or by filing a report online.