Orangeville Council received a report on COVID-19 recovery planning at its May 25th meeting. To prepare for a reopening of facilities, programs and services following an unprecedented lockdown due to the novel coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Town of Orangeville is preparing a recovery plan that will reflect the Province’s phased reopening approach and is in alignment with guidance from Provincial and Public Health Officials.



Over the past couple of months, the Town took measures to alter service delivery and operations to help alleviate financial pressures and to ensure the health and safety of the community and staff. Orangeville Council provided a relief package for residents, as well as property and business owners.



The Town’s framework will be fundamental to moving forward with a municipal recovery plan. That plan will look at how the Town can deal with the implications of COVID-19 and how the community can rebound from the crisis. It will outline actions and track progress for internal operations (recovery for programs and staff) and external recovery (businesses, tourism, culture and the community at large).



It will also guide the Town’s recovery efforts in the short, medium and long term. The goal of the recovery plan is to focus on guiding the community through recovery back towards pre-pandemic conditions over the long term. It will be overseen by a Recovery Team.



As part of a recovery strategy, stakeholder engagement, collaboration and communication will be critical at each stage. The Recovery Team, working with Members of Council, will engage existing committees and stakeholder groups as well as the community as part of the consultation.



Divided into three areas the focus starts with responding to the crisis, shifting to recovery (the current phase) and planning to thrive coming out of the crisis. Town staff will continue to explore the provincial government’s staged recovery plan to understand what it means for municipal services delivered to residents as well as externally in the community.



Updates on the Town’s recovery planning will be presented to Council at future meetings.