Mayor Don Mitchell shared the following statement regarding Ontario’s Action Plan: Responding to COVID-19 (March 2020 Economic and Fiscal Update) released on March 25, 2020, by Finance Minister Rod Philips. 

“Knowing the health and well-being of our residents is our top priority, I was pleased to see a number of supports to assist municipalities included in Ontario’s Action Plan: Responding To COVID-19. This reinforces how important it is for all levels of government to work together.

A number of these benefits, like the deferral of mandatory education payments and the deferral of property reassessments, also support the Town’s recent tax deferral measures. Together, these will help provide relief for residents and local businesses, providing more flexibility during these uncertain times. I thank the province for their leadership at this time.

I would also like to thank all our residents and local businesses for the sacrifices being made, as well as all our frontline health care providers for their ongoing commitment to keeping us all safe. We must all do our part. Please stay home unless it’s absolutely essential to leave. If you are returning from travel, self-isolate for 14 days and ask family, friends or neighbours to drop off supplies for you. We still have the opportunity to slow the spread of COVID-19, but the time to take action is now. It is essential that we follow the advice of health professionals, practice physical distancing at all times and wash our hands.

We are all in this together.”

For more information on the actions the Town is taking in response to COVID-19, visit whitby.ca/coronavirus.