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Emergencies declared by Ontario municipalities

Municipalities with states of emergency

The Province of Ontario enacted a state of emergency March 17 and updated it on March 28 with new restrictions. On March 30 the period was extended for 14 days and then on April 14 for an additional 28 days. On April 23, the province announced all emergency orders put in place under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act will remain in effect until at least May 6, including the closure of all non-essential businesses and services. Updates here.

As of April 24, 2020, the following Ontario communities or municipalities have also declared local states of emergency or enacted emergency measures due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic:

Amherstburg
Arran-Elderslie
Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation (borders closed)
Atikokan
Barrie
Bayham
Billings Twp, Manitoulin Is.
Bonfield
Bradford West Gwillimbury
Brampton
Brant Cty
Brantford
Brock Twp
Brockton
Bruce Cty
Burlington
Cambridge
Carlow/Mayo Twp
Central Elgin
Central Frontenac
Centre Wellington
Chatham-Kent
Clarington
Cobourg
Cornwall
Continue reading “Emergencies declared by Ontario municipalities”

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Webinar: Exiting One Crisis and Mitigating Another Potential Crisis

Exiting One Crisis and Mitigating Another Potential Crisis

You are invited to attend a free webinar, hosted by the Ontario Municipal Water Association (OMWA)

WHEN: Friday, May 1, 2020 – 11:00 a.m.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND: This free webinar is intended to raise the awareness of municipalities/utilities who have large commercial buildings and industries within their municipal boundaries. As large buildings have been shut down or used less frequently, building water quality degradation becomes a silent but serious issue.

This webinar is free to all. Please register in advance for this webinar via the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GEu4AtYsRnKY-A1nllcjIw

Once you have registered you will receive a confirmation email within 12 hours containing instructions for how to join the webinar.

Continue reading “Webinar: Exiting One Crisis and Mitigating Another Potential Crisis”

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Online discussion: Successful Continuity of Water & Wastewater Services During the COVID-19 Emergency

The Ontario Municipal Water Association (OMWA) and the Water & Wastewater Regulatory Compliance Group (WWRCG) are once again collaborating to deliver a free fully-interactive event to discuss: “Positioning Your Organization for Successful Continuity of Water & Wastewater Services During the COVID-19 Emergency.”

This one-hour, online event is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., Thursday, April 9, 2020.

The event will feature a fully interactive “discussion room” format and the number of participants will be limited and limited to one registration per municipalities/utilities.

The OMWA and WWRCG have developed an online questionnaire consisting of several questions on various COVID-19 water & wastewater related operational issues that each association has identified based on input from our respective members.

After you register, you will receive a registration confirmation email within 8 hours and a link to the online questionnaire that will be the foundation for the event discussions. We would suggest that each municipality/utility coordinate their registration and their response.  Participants will be expected to complete the Poll questionnaire by 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 8th. The data from the completed questionnaire will then be compiled and presented on Thursday at 11:00 by our moderators, OMWA President Mike Mortimer, Justyna Burkiewicz from WWRCG and Laura Smit, OMWA Board Director.

Our registrants will then be welcome to discuss results, ask follow-up questions, provide further clarification or to voice their thoughts and opinions during the event to the benefit of all participants.

 Once again, participation in this free fully interactive “discussion room” is limited, so register as soon as possible. Please register as a municipality/utility and be sure to submit your answers and feel free to ask any other specific questions you may have before Wednesday, April 8 at 4:00 p.m.

To register in advance for this webinar, click here.

Webinar Moderators:

Michael Mortimer (President, OMWA)
Justyna Burkiewicz (Member of WWRCG), (Manager, Water & Wastewater Regulatory Compliance, Peel Region)
Laura Smit, (Board Member, OMWA), (Board Member, WCWC), ( Superintendent of Water Treatment and Supply, City of Orillia)

This one-hour event will feature a fully interactive “discussion room” format and the number of participants will be limited and limited to one registration per municipality/utility.
Disclaimer: Registrants acknowledge that this webinar may be recorded and may be shared online with participants and non-participants. Participant comments or questions my be included in the recording.
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Webinar cancelled

The OMWA and The Water & Wastewater Regulatory Compliance Group regret to inform you that late yesterday afternoon we were advised by a representative of the Ministry of Environment, Conservation & Parks (MECP) that they were unable to present today at the scheduled 11:00 a.m. webinar.

We will continue collaborating with MECP and we remain hopeful that we will be able to reschedule and provide all Ontario’s water & wastewater professionals a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory processes during the COVID-19 emergency.

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COVID-19 Webinar files uploaded

The OMWA has uploaded the video and slide show from Friday’s webinar on COVID-19 and Its Impact on Water/Wastewater utilities. You can download the video here (your browser may also allow you to view it online):

COVID-19 webinar (mp4)

And download or view the slide presentation from Stantec here:

Stantec slide show (pdf)

UPDATE: A PDF of the questions and answers from the webinar has also been uploaded. Click here to get a copy.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this event. The OMWA plans to host other educational webinars and events to address this and related issues in the future.

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Attend our free webinar on COVID-19

Invitarion

Please join OMWA President Mike Mortimer and Stantec’s Nicole McLellan, M.A.Sc., Ph.D. Candidate at 11 a.m. on Friday, Mar. 27 for this free webinar intended for  water and wastewater utilities to help answer your questions related to the fate of coronaviruses in sewage and water, the efficacy of water treatment for coronaviruses, risks to your staff, and how to address public inquiries. Click the registration link below.
The Ontario Municipal Water Association plans to provide ongoing education on the coronavirus as information develops. Please continue to look for updates in your email and in our weekly e-News broadcast.

Sponsored by Stantec and the OMWA.

To register for this free webinar click here: Stantec & OMWA Free webinar on Zoom After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Stantec’s Nicole McLellan, M.A.Sc., Ph.D. Candidate is an environmental scientist with more than 13 years of experience related to water quality and treatment. She is the lead author of Stantec’s whitepaper “Considerations for Water and Wastewater Treatment Related to the Recent Outbreak: COVID-19.” Her areas of expertise comprise water treatment optimization; regulatory compliance; process performance demonstrations; energy optimization; management of disinfection by-products; control of algae blooms; distribution system management; scientific study designs; and wastewater disinfection.

OMWA president Mike Mortimer is the Manager of Environmental Services for the City of Stratford, with a B.Sc. in Environmental Science and Biology, and almost 20 years’ experience in the water industry.