| Township Office |
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The Township Office is currently closed to the public and staff are working remotely where possible.
The Township Office continues to be available by phone or e-mail to assist with all inquiries. Inquiries can be made by phone between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at 519-849-3926 or by e-mail to info@warwicktownship.ca.
Thank you for your understanding.
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| By-law Services |
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The Township continues to offer By-law Enforcement services. To limit public interaction, residents are now required to file their complaints via phone or e-mail.
To report an issue call 519-849-3926 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. of e-mail to info@warwicktownship.ca.
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| Building Services |
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Update on COVID-19 Measures in relation to Construction Activities
As of February 16, 2021, it is our understanding that all construction may commence, provided the Regulation is amended as anticipated.
Ontario Regulation: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/200082
Schedule 7 - Paragraph 40 states -
Construction
40. Construction activities or projects and related services that support construction activities or projects, including demolition services.
Be mindful, that the situation may change quickly based on further amendments, colour coding language/zones and the possible emergency brake option.
Recognizing the risk posed by new variants to the province's pandemic response, Ontario is introducing an "emergency brake" to allow for immediate action if a public health unit region experiences rapid acceleration in COVID-19 transmission or if its health care system risks becoming overwhelmed. If this occurs, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with the local medical officer of health, may advise immediately moving a region into Grey-Lockdown to interrupt transmission.
- It is understood that specific and unique situations may arise, so please inquire regarding same.
- When it doubt refer the query to the building inspectors, supervisor and/or chief building official as it relates to applications, permits and inspections.
- Further, some exceptions may apply as it relates to process and/or inspections and will be assessed on a case-by-basis.
It is your own responsibility to ascertain what you can do or not do - govern yourselves accordingly.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AS IT RELATES TO INTAKE, ISSUANCE and/or INSPECTIONS
PLEASE UTILIZE THE FOLLOWING NUMBERS FOR ASSISTANCE.
- Lambton County Member Municipalities 519-845-5420
For Township Of Warwick Building Department
Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Institutional, Agricultural
Applications
Our Department will:
- Continue to receive and process applications, as per our current procedures for the respective area.
- Issue permits but that does not imply, construction can commence
- Please know we are processing all complete applications within the specified timeframes and as quickly as possible.
Inspections
Our Department will:
- Be conducting inspections on essential commercial, industrial and institutional projects.
- Continue to receive and process applications, as per our current procedures.
- Issue permits but that does not imply, construction can commence
Please be advised that the information provided is subject to all other restrictions and prohibitions under the law.
The information does not imply that construction can be carried out in contravention of any Act, Regulation and/or provincial order prohibiting construction, including under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMPCA), as amended, or its Regulations and/or the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act or its Regulations (ROA).
It is recommended that you seek legal opinion to determine whether the project can be constructed under the EMPCA or ROA before proceeding with construction.
Please further note that Inspections will only be carried out on construction projects deemed essential under the EMPCA or ROA and construction projects deemed non-essential are prohibited by law.
Further, any construction carried out in contravention of the EMPCA or ROA or their regulations may result in a fine and/or prosecution under those Acts.
In the event of a conflict between this update and the Regulation, the Regulation shall govern.
- As you clearly understand - this situation changes quite quickly and directives may also change.
- If our position or processes change, with any facet of the matter, we will communicate out.
Please contact our Department directly, if you have any questions on the above. Questions can be directed to Corrine Nauta, Chief Building Official at 1-866-324-6912 or corrine.nauta@county.lambton.on.ca.
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| Council and Committee Meetings |
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Council is now meeting electronically. Public notice of electronic meetings will be provided.
All electronic meetings will be livestreamed to the Township's YouTube channel at youtube.com/channel/.
Meeting information and schedules will be updated at the Council & Committee Calendar.
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| Fire Services |
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The Township of Warwick Fire and Rescue Department remains fully functional. We are taking precautionary measures to ensure that volunteer firefighters can attend emergencies.
Updates to our services include:
- Volunteer firefighters will still respond to incidents, however, you may see members wearing personal protective equipment such as gloves, masks, and protective eyewear. This is for their protection. To decrease the risk of exposure to our firefighters, we are asking all residents to ensure their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are functioning properly to reduce the number of false alarm calls.
- Volunteer firefighters has been advised on best practices related to social distancing.
- Public Education and Prevention activities have been temporarily suspended.
- At this time we would ask that all correspondence be done by phone or e-mail.
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| Garbage and Recycling |
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The new curbside household waste and collection service began on June 3, 2020. The new service will be on Wednesdays and will be weekly in Watford and Warwick Village and bi-weekly in the rural area of the municipality.
Unless the Bluewater Recycling Association (BRA) was advised otherwise by property owners, all residential properties were provided a medium waste wheelie bin and a large recycling wheelie bin.
Please contact Bluewater Recycling Association (BRA) directly at 1-800-265-9799 if you need to change the size of your bins or with any questions about the service change.
NOTE: All property owners will continue to be able to access the waste and recycling drop off location at Twin Creeks Landfill, whether they participate in the automated collection program or not.
Twin Creeks Landfill
Twin Creeks Environmental Center will be open on Saturdays effective this Saturday, February 13th. They will be returning to regular operating hours.
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| Libraries and Museums |
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For up to date information about Lambton County Library's service levels and hours, visit lclibrary.ca
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| Lottery Licences |
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The following information was provided by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) regarding lottery licence events affected by COVID-19.
Options for Charitable Lotteries during the COVID-19 pandemic
This message is to help municipalities that license charitable lottery schemes in Ontario understand their options in light of the societal impact of COVID-19. These are truly exceptional times that are affecting all aspects of our lives. We wish to offer as much guidance and support as we can to all those who rely on the AGCO’s services.
The AGCO has received a number of inquiries from charities asking about pausing their raffle draws and events. We wanted to share with municipalities the response the AGCO is providing to charities, so that you may use similar language with your licensees if you choose.
Terms and Conditions attached to current lottery licences
Due to uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AGCO Registrar is providing as much flexibility as possible in the application of the Terms and Conditions attached to current lottery licences.
For example:
1. For licences where the event has not yet started, licensees may choose to not begin sales until the pandemic concerns have passed.
2. For current raffle licensees that have started ticket sales, each situation will need to be considered on its own merits. You will need to consider whether it is appropriate under the circumstances to extend the sale of tickets, even though it would have the effect of reducing the odds of winning for anyone who has already purchased a ticket. You will also need to consider whether it is appropriate under these exceptional circumstances to postpone the raffle draw date altogether. Both options are available to you.
3. For Break Open Ticket licensees who have started ticket sales, you may consider extending the term of ticket sales.
4. For bingo licensees who are unable to conduct their events, you may consider extending the term of your event.
Although the Premier of Ontario announced a state of emergency for the province, he was also clear that this is not a lock-down of the province. Certain sectors regulated by the AGCO continue to operate and as long as they do, we will continue supporting them and conducting our regulatory activities to make sure they continue to operate with honesty, integrity and in the public interest.
We share everyone’s concerns about the toll the outbreak of this virus is taking on our communities and the charities, businesses, individuals and families that are affected by it. We appreciate the difficult times we are all facing and we’re here to support you as we all continue working through these challenges together.
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| Police Services |
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The safety of all Ontarians is the OPP's top priority. There are currently no changes to our frontline operations.
Report less serious incidents online at opp.ca/reporting. For non-emergencies call 1-888-310-1122.
In case of emergency, call 911.
The OPP encourages businesses to voluntarily comply with all short-term restrictions. Education, awareness and compliance are preferred options, but officers will apply discretion whether to launch any enforcement actions such as:
- Offences relating to non-essential businesses that remain open in contravention of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. (EMCPA).
- Offences relating to gatherings of more than five people in contravention of the EMCPA.
- Quarantine Act violations at the request of a screening officer or quarantine officer.
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| Recreation and Community Centres |
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On 12:01 a.m. Monday, March 15, 2021, Lambton County will move to Grey-Lockdown zone of the province’s COVID-19 response framework.
Warwick Township facilities for indoor or outdoor sports and recreational fitness activities and facility rentals for events/meetings etc. will be closed which include Warwick Community Centre, Centennial Hall, Watford Community Arena and Hall.
As of this morning the following are cancelled:
- All facility rentals (meetings, yoga etc.) with the exception of iCan afterschool program which may run, provided the schools are open.
- All ice rentals
- All programs – pickleball
- Indoor Gun Club (Centennial Hall)
Warwick Township has made the difficult decision to remove the ice from Watford Community Arena as of Monday, March 15, 2021. Thanks to all of our Ice Users who worked with us to make as much of a season as we could. We look forward to working with everyone for the 2021-2022 season!
Update - May 21, 2021
Ontario will allow more outdoor recreational amenities to reopen, with restrictions in place, effective May 22, 2021 at 12:01 a.m. Amenities in Warwick Township that will reopen at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, May 22, 2021 include:
• Parks and recreational areas (including Track).
• Baseball diamonds.
• Soccer, football and sports fields.
• Tennis, platform tennis, table tennis and pickleball courts.
• Basketball courts.
• Playgrounds.
The Watford splash pad will open tomorrow, Saturday, May 22nd at 10:00a.m. closing at 10:00p.m. and will have regular summer hours of 8:00a.m. to 10:00p.m. starting Sunday, May 23rd!
As the splash pad is opening, the family/universal washroom will also be opened. However, it will not be cleaned over the holiday weekend.
Notes:
- The BMX Bike Park and Pump Track remains closed and is under review during the development of the Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Culture Master Plan.
- The washrooms at both Watford Ball Park and Warwick Ball Park will remain closed at this time.
For full details on reopening amenities over the long weekend, visit https://bit.ly/2RDMDKD.
Rental Requests
We are accepting requests for future rentals but they will not be approved until our facilities have re-opened. You may request a booking through:
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| Roads Operations |
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Road operations including road and streetlight maintenance continues as normal. All maintenance requests or notifications must now be done via e-mail or by phone.
If you have an emergency related to roads, please contact the Public Works Emergency phone at 519-490-5684.
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| Taxes |
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Tax bills will be issued in August. The first installment is due on August 31. The final installment will be due on October 29.
Payments
Payments can be made by various methods. View information on available payment options.
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| Utilities |
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At this time there will be no interruption to the water and wastewater billings. As a reminder, the following locations will be billed in the next few months as planned:
- Watford - on a monthly basis (included on your Bluewater Power bill)
- Warwick Village and rural area - next bills will be due on July 30 and October 29
Payments
Payments can be made by various methods. View information on available payment options.
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Water and Wastewater
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Water and Wastewater services will general be provided in the normal fashion. Urgent matters including watermain breaks, sewage back-ups, etc. will continue to be handled on an as need basis and should be reported by phone or through our website.
If you have an emergency related to water or sewer, please call 1 (888) 522-0117.
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Temporary Patio Extensions 2021
To support businesses as they work to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the AGCO has extended the Temporary Patio provisions for 2021. If permitted to open for on-site consumption, liquor sales licensees may continue to temporarily extend or add a temporary physical extension of their licensed premises until 3:00 a.m. on January 1, 2022.
Eligible liquor sales licensees do not need to submit an application to the AGCO to extend their licensed premises for the duration of 2021, provided they meet certain requirements.
To be eligible for a temporary patio extension under the AGCO’s 2021 patio policy, you must have a valid liquor sales licence, be permitted to open for on-site consumption and must meet the criteria as set out below:
- The physical extension of the premises is adjacent to:
- the premises to which the licence to sell liquor applies; or
- a dock to which the boat is attached and may include land adjacent to the dock; or
- the licensed premises under the “By the Glass” licence;
- The municipality in which the premises is situated has indicated it does not object to an extension;
- The licensee is able to demonstrate sufficient control over the physical extension of the premises;
- There is no condition on the licence prohibiting a patio;
- The capacity of any temporary extension, allows for at least 1.11 square metres per person; and
- In the case of “By the Glass” licensees, the sale and service of the wine, beer and/or spirits manufactured by the manufacturer within the physical extension of the premises is primarily aimed at promoting the manufacturer’s product and either providing an enhanced tourist experience or fulfilling an educational purpose.
In response, the Township of Warwick is offering an expedited process to allow for temporary patio spaces.
Temporary patios must complete the Temporary Patio Registration Form and comply with guidelines provided by the Township of Warwick, Lambton Public Health and the ACGO regarding size, occupancy and health regulations. Temporary patios will be allowed to operate without permit until 3:00 am on January 1, 2022, if registered with the municipality.
No municipal permits will be required for existing businesses to operate patios on private property. However, businesses are required to register and confirm that they will comply with the guidelines. If a business is requesting to open or expand a patio into an existing private parking area, permission and additional approval must be obtained if any more than 25% of the onsite parking for the establishment is impacted.
If a business is requesting to open or expand an existing patio on public property, permission and additional approval must be obtained.
Registration:
Fees
Fees will be waived for the registration of Temporary Patios.
Inspections/Occupancy
You are not required to call for inspections; however, the municipality may conduct audit inspections of patios to ensure compliance with the general safety requirements outlined in the Registration Form.
Owners shall provide their liquor licence, if requested by the Chief Building Official. The Chief Building Official is authorized to inspect all temporary patios and require adjustments to the patio in order to address compliance with these guidelines.
You are not required to request an Occupancy Permit; however, you are required to comply with the Provincial social distancing guidelines.
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