June 10: Mayor's Message

Good afternoon,

Today is Wednesday, June 10.

The province announced this week that certain regions of Ontario will be allowed to enter into Stage 2 of reopening Friday June 12 and Kawartha Lakes, under the guidance of our local health unit, is included in that list.

What this means for our municipality is that we have been given the green light to allow the re-opening of most businesses and services. However, I want to

stress, this does not mean that effective June 12 at 12:01am, the City is back to business as usual.

In fact, I suspect that many things will not return back to the normal we were used to prior to the pandemic. And that’s okay. Reality is going to look different in the next few months but it’s important to remember that everything being done is for the safety and well-being of us all.

There are strict guidelines in place, from both a provincial and local level, that we need to ensure are being followed as doors begin to open. I know that from a municipal perspective, Council and Senior Management have been working hard over the past few months to develop work plans to slowly re-introduce staff into our buildings. For example, we’ve begun modifying building layouts to maintain physical distancing in offices for both staff and residents as we start to welcome everyone back.

I know many families are missing activities such as access to our playgrounds and splash pads, but Stage 2 only allows for a maximum gathering of 10 people. It’s limitations such as this that make re-opening a challenge, not only for the municipality, but for businesses and restaurants as well.

We are doing our best as a municipality to provide our residents and visitors with the experiences they love most about Kawartha Lakes, but everyone needs to

keep safety a priority. We can only do so much in terms of providing barriers and increased cleaning measures, but the onus in on everyone to do their part. Bring wipes or hand sanitizer if you plan on visiting a public facility and respect the space of others around you. Although Stage 2 is extremely encouraging, we are still in a State of Emergency. I urge everyone to continue to exercise extreme caution and follow public health advice as we navigate through the upcoming weeks together.

Thank you.