News Release - May 27, 2020

Gradual Resumption of City Services Impacted by COVID-19

The City of Parksville takes COVID-19 (Coronavirus) seriously and follows the direction of the Provincial Health Officer. This information will address the partial reopening of City of Parksville offices in the Parksville Civic and Technology Centre. We are focusing on the essential services our residents rely upon and will continue to exercise an abundance of caution as we provide limited in-person services starting June 1 and work towards a full resumption of regular services in a gradual and cautious manner. Visiting City Hall will be very different from before the closure in mid-March; however, most importantly, we are committed to keeping the public and staff safe.

In all cases, the conditions of opening facilities to the public will be contingent upon providing a safe environment for staff and residents in line with provincial guidelines, especially as they pertain to limiting gatherings to less than fifty and the continued requirement to physically distance, stay home if unwell and practice good hand hygiene.

Limited services June 1

Beginning June 1, the finance department will be open to the public Monday to Friday from 9 am to noon and 1 pm to 3 pm. The City is offering limited in-person service when there are no other options; where possible, residents should continue to access services electronically, available from our website 24/7. The finance office will be open to accept property tax payments, utility payments and to process homeowner grants only. We will not be issuing garbage tags, bus passes or dog tags in June.

Other services such as administration, bylaw, building, planning and engineering will be by appointment only. We continue to encourage residents to refer to the directory on the City’s website to contact staff by email or phone. Please call 250 248-6144 to book an appointment with the appropriate person or refer to the contact information on the City’s website. Walk-in services will not be available at this time.

Using Parksville Civic and Technology Centre building

• Residents will need to be patient and respectful as there will be delays during this transitional period.
• We have designated entrance and exit to the building – Jensen Avenue East is the designated entrance-only and the south door by the Cenotaph is the designated exit-only door.
• Washrooms remain closed to the public.
• To ensure a safe transition, residents will be required to take a number of steps. Physical distance markers are located on the floor, hand sanitizer will be provided and procedures for entry to the building will be provided to residents upon arrival.
• The number of people allowed in the building will be limited and it may be necessary for residents to queue outside on the Jensen Avenue sidewalk.
• Please respect safety protocols – wash/sanitize hands thoroughly and often, cover your cough or sneeze, limit your time if others are waiting and stay home if sick.

Outdoor spaces, events and physical distancing

Our outdoor spaces and parks are open for casual use and we ask users to respect posted guidelines. Groups should be small (two to six people) and make sure to keep a physical distance of two metres. No special events in City facilities are being booked at this time.

Council meetings

Regular Council meetings will resume in the Forum starting at 6 pm. To accommodate physical distancing and the attendance of Council and staff, seating will be extremely limited. Unless there is a reason to attend in person, please continue to view Council meetings online. Comments may be emailed to council@parksville.ca

Other building occupants

Entrance to the PCTC building is limited and by appointment only. For convenience, we are providing the telephone contacts for the other services in Parksville Civic and Technology Centre:

School District #69 Qualicum 250 248-4241

Vancouver Island University 250 248-2096

Vancouver Island Regional Library 250 248-3841

The City will continue to monitor public demand for in-person services with a view to offering additional services in July. More information will be provided as it becomes available. Our thanks to the residents of Oceanside who have diligently followed the rules to keep us safe and continue to slow the spread of COVID-19. The City looks forward to resuming some in-person services, while ensuring the efforts of our community are not reversed.

For more information:

Deb Tardiff, Manager of Communications

dtardiff@parksville.ca

250 954-3073 (office)

250 248-0846 (cell)