COVID-19

Information and Updates

Please check back often for new information and updates.

As of June 12, face coverings are required to be worn inside all commercial businesses in Wellington County. This decision was made by the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Medical Officer of Health. Read Emergency Order No. 1.
In response to the Stage 3 announcement by the Province, Dr. Mercer has updated her Section 22 Order on the use of face coverings in commercial establishments effective July 14. Read Emergency Order No. 2.
On September 15, in response to the increasing number of cases in our region, Dr. Mercer announced updates to the Section 22 Order on the use of face coverings which will take effect on September 18. Read Emergency Order No. 3.
On December 21, the Ontario Government ordered a Provincewide Shutdown, effective December 26 at 12:01 am.
On January 12, the Ontario Government issued a Provincewide Stay at Home Order, effective January 14 at 12:01 am.
On February 16, the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health region returned to the Red-Control Zone of Ontario's COVID-19 Response Framework.

Mandatory screening procedures will be in place at the entrances of all County buildings, and individuals will be required to have their temperature taken by staff, wear a face covering and respect physical distancing protocols at all times inside our facilities.

As of March 23, the County of Wellington and all seven of its member municipalities have declared emergencies in accordance with the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, 1990, as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

County officials are working closely with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health to respond to the situation. As more information becomes available, the County of Wellington is making additional changes to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Please review the following County operational changes and closures:

Administration Centre

The County of Wellington’s Administration Centre (74 Woolwich Street) is closed to the public until further notice. All non-essential County deliveries are to be halted.

County Council and Committee Meetings

All Committee and Council Meetings will continue via Zoom audio. The public will be able to call in and observe these meetings. Agendas and teleconference information will be posted to the Council and Committee calendar as it becomes available.

County Garages

All County Garages are closed to the public until further notice.

Green Legacy

Green Legacy tree nurseries are closed for volunteering. Orders may be placed online for distribution in Spring 2021. For more details visit www.greenlegacy.ca

Housing and Emergency Shelter

Housing Services and Guelph Non-Profit have resumed usual work practices with added precautionary measures in place.

Need Emergency Assistance?

You may be eligible for short term financial support if you are in a crisis or emergency situation and you don’t have enough money for things like food and housing. If you are not already receiving support from Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program, you can apply for emergency assistance online.

You can also call the Ontario Works (OW) office to apply over the phone. Please call OW at: 519.837.2670 (press’1’) or Toll Free 1.800.265.7294 or TTY 1.800.855.0511

Need Tenancy Help?

Call staff directly by phone/email or speak to our reception staff by phone for assistance.

Call us at 519.837.6274 if:

You are self-isolating and need help with daily living needs, such as food and medicine, staff can help with referral information and access to resources.
You are requesting repairs. We are making emergency repairs, but all non- urgent repairs will be scheduled for a later date.
You want to make an appointment with staff, while our offices are closed. Staff are available over the phone and via email to support tenants. By appointment, staff will meet with tenants who are signing leases or picking up keys.

How can I my Pay Rent?

It is a tenant responsibility to pay rent on time, and we understand this situation may be challenging so we want to support you in making arrangements where possible.

For all tenants that currently use Debit/Interac for rent payments or pay in person, we request that you would consider alternate options for rent payment for the next few months. Please contact the Housing Services office if you are able to make alternative arrangements to paying rent in person, including but not limited to:

Pre-Authorized Payments
Cheques; mailed to the office or dropped off at the office mailbox
Post-dated cheques (only accepted for rent payments after the first month's rent)
Online Payments. Please contact our office to learn more, or register for the online payment portal.
Ontario Works (OW) pay direct system
Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) pay direct system

In-person rent payment is not available at this time.

What Is Housing Services Doing to Protect Public Health and Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19?

Housing Services and Guelph Non-Profit has put in place these social distancing measures to protect public health and help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Offices are closed to the public, however we will meet with you over the phone and email. Exceptions are being made for individual appointments for lease signings.
All community rooms, recreation rooms and amenity spaces are closed to social gatherings.
Laundry rooms remain open and will be cleaned several times a day.
We are continuing to provide emergency repairs, but all other requests will be completed at a later date.
We are cleaning and disinfecting our buildings at minimum twice daily, with a focus on common areas and all frequently touched surfaces.
We are advising people not to visit our buildings if they have returned from travel outside Canada or have respiratory illness, cough, fever or trouble breathing.
We recommend that you avoid social gathering within the buildings and that you keep a distance of at least 2 arms-length (approximately 2 metres) from others at all times.
Public Health recommends the use of face coverings and social distancing as methods to protect each other from the potential spread of COVID-19. The County requires tenants to wear a mask if they are meeting with staff or if staff are entering units.
The County encourages the use of face masks in all common arears of our buildings.
The County has established hand sanitizer stations at each building main entrance and we encourage all residents and visitors to sanitize when entering the buildings.

Emergency Homelessness Shelter Services

Shelter staff are still working to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

If you are experiencing homelessness and would like to access shelter
If you are an adult (25 years+) and it is…

between 8am-8pm, please call: 226-821-3345
between 8pm-8am, please call: 519-837-0080

If you are a youth (16-24 years), please call 519-837-3892

Need a place to warm up?

Welcome In Drop In Centre (23 Gordon Street, Guelph) – Overnight, 8:00pm-8:00am (7 days a week).

Royal City Mission (50 Quebec St.) – 1:00pm-8:00pm (Mon-Fri, closed Sat & Sun)

Concerned about someone in the community who is experiencing homelessness?
Guelph-Wellington Community Cold Weather Response for Individuals Experiencing Homelessness

If you see someone unsheltered outdoors in need of assistance (not an emergency), call:

HERE 24/7, 1-844-437-3247
Guelph Police Service non-emergency line, 519-824-1212
Wellington County OPP non-emergency line, 1-888-310-1122
If it is an emergency situation: Call 911

Tenant Notices and Updates

October 7, 2020

Posters: Please wear a mask

September 15, 2020

Guelph Non-Profit Housing Services Update

September 14, 2020

Housing Services Tenant Update

May 28, 2020

Housing Services Tenant Notice

March 17, 2020

March 24, 2020

March 26, 2020

Housing Service Notice - Play Structure Closed

April 17, 2020

Ontario Works - Financial Assistance

During the COVID-19 emergency, Ontario Works staff are working to deliver essential services.

Do you urgently need financial help?

You can also call our office to apply over the phone. Please call us at: 519.837.2670 (press’1’) or Toll Free 1.800.265.7294 or TTY 1.800.855.0511

What other financial assistance is available?

If you were working and have lost your job or lost your income, are not able to work due to COVID-19 related illness or self-isolation, or if you cannot work because you must provide care to someone who is sick or under quarantine, you may be eligible to receive benefits from the federal government. Details are available on the government’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan website.

RIDE WELL Rural Transit Service

RIDE WELL is currently operating but is taking proactive measures to limit further transmission of COVID-19. We have updated our terms and conditions.

We are asking the public to not book or enter RIDE WELL vehicles if you have:

One or more symptoms of: Fever, cough, or difficulty breathing.
Travelled outside Canada in the past 14 days.
If you have had close contact with either a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19.

When using the service, we ask passengers to follow the safety measures below:

Restricted vehicles to only one booking per vehicle – multiple bookings will not share a vehicle until further notice.
Drivers and passengers are required to wear masks. Any passenger that does not have a mask will be provided one from their driver.
Passengers must sit in the backseat.
Hand sanitizer is available for passenger use upon entering the vehicle.
Safety measures information are available for passengers to read.
Drivers disinfect vehicles at the start of their shift, after each ride is completed, and at the end of their shift.
A new feature has been added to the RIDE WELL booking app/website called “Announcements”. Any and all future safety precautions will be detailed in this section

Settlement Services

During the COVID-19 emergency, Settlement Services staff are working to deliver essential services.

Are you new to Canada and new to Wellington County?

The County of Wellington provides direct and essential services FREE of charge to help newcomers and immigrants. Experienced settlement workers can answer your questions and help you deal with challenges in housing, employment, interpretation and translation, healthcare, immigration and citizenship, completion of government forms, accessing social services, and more. Please call 519.837.2670 ext. 4819 to book an appointment with a settlement worker.

How can I reach my settlement worker during office closures?

Settlement workers are still available to help by email and telephone. If you are an existing client, please call your settlement worker directly. You can also call our office and leave a message at 519.837.2670 ext.4819.

Social Services

In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, County of Wellington Social Services offices are closed to the public until further notice. Social Services continues to provide service over the phone, by mail and through electronic communication. Please see below for service options.

Housing and Emergency Shelter

Ontario Works

Settlement Services

Dropping off documents
Please use the drop boxes location on the exterior of our office buildings.

Need to contact our staff
Please contact staff directly by phone/email or speak to our reception staff by phone for assistance at 519.837.6274.

Need to apply for assistance
You can apply online or contact us by phone for assistance at 519.837.6274.

Pre-arranged in-person services
Call ahead to arrange a time to visit us to complete the following in-person transactions:

Signing your new lease with Housing
Picking up an assistance cheque

In-person rent payment is not available at this time. We are requesting that all tenants that currently pay in person or use Debit/Interac for rent payments, consider alternate payment options for the next few months. We understand that this may be challenging, and we want to support you where possible. Please visit the County's Social Services webpage for additional details.

We appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we work to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Child Care Subsidy

Help for families to pay for licensed child care for children is available for families who are financially eligible and have an approved reason for service.

For more information visit (link to Fee Subsidy page on website)

To apply call 519-837-3620 x3090

Although our office is closed to the public, staff continue to be available to assist via phone and other electronic formats

Solid Waste Services

All County waste facilities are open with their regular operating hours. Reuse Centres will remain closed until further notice. More information on County waste facilities can be found at www.wellington.ca/sws.

There are currently no changes to the County of Wellington's curbside collection services. At this time, we are continuing the User Pay Bag programme, asking that residents use County-issued garbage bags. Details on curbside collection can be found at www.wellington.ca/sws. Continuing to require the use of User Pay bags is to support our contractor and ensure that they are able to continue collecting waste materials across the County.

Our staff are making deliveries to our retailers to ensure that User Pay bag inventory remains available. The County is also offering a temporary home delivery service for User Pay bags. Orders can be placed and processed online at www.wellington.ca/wasteinfo. Residents unable to access this service online can call 519.837.2601 and arrangements will be made.

Any other questions can be directed to our Solid Waste Services department at wasteinfo@wellington.ca.

Wellington County Library

Please visit the COVID-19 Library page for current information.

Wellington County Museum and Archives

On Monday, February 22, the Wellington County Museum and Archives will resume regular business hours (Monday - Friday from 9:30am - 4:30pm, weekends from 1:00pm - 5:00pm, Archives closed Sunday).

Please note, mandatory screening procedures will be in place at the entrances of all County buildings, and individuals will be required to have their temperature taken by staff, wear a face covering and respect physical distancing protocols at all times inside our facilities.

Museum: A maximum of 10 visitors allowed inside the Museum at one time. You do not need an appointment to visit the Museum; however, if you are coming with a larger group and want to make sure you are able to come inside with our 10 maximum restriction in place, please call us at 519.846.0916 x 5221 to set up a time for your group to visit!

The Heritage Barn and some Museum galleries (including interactive and high contact exhibit components) will remain closed. Donations to the WCMA collection can be made by appointment. Contact Museum Curator, Hailey Johnston or Archivist, Karen Wagner

Archives: A maximum of 5 visitors will be allowed inside the Archives at once. Retrieval services will be available. The public will not be permitted to browse the collection at this time. The use of personal laptops is encouraged inside our facilities, and computer and microfilm reader printer use will be available by appointment. Call 519.846.0916 x 5225 or email Karen Wagner.

Programming: Check our calendar for our upcoming programmes and events. Staff are also available for guided group tours and outreach. Please call 519-846-016 x5224 or email Kyle Smith.

Facility Rental: WCMA event spaces are open and available for rent. Total capacity, per event, per space both indoors and out, will be determined by WCMA staff, based on the maximum 30% capacity restriction, the total number of attendees, social circles, physical distancing, COVID-19 restrictions and protocols. Please contact 519.846.0916 x 5221 for more information.

Virtual WCMA: Do not forget to visit us online! The WCMA has lots of great activities, online exhibits, photo galleries and digital databases! www.wellington.ca/museum

Share Your Story
The WCMA needs your help in documenting this unprecedented moment in history. How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your life? Create a diary, video, or take photographs and consider donating your records to the Museum and Archives. For more information, please contact WCMA Archivist, Karen Wagner.

Wellington Terrace Long Term Care Home

We recognize the importance of social connection for seniors, please be assured that our team will contact families to determine strategies for you to stay in touch with your loved one.

The Wellington Terrace will continue to post updates as the COVID-19 situation evolves. Please visit our Wellington Terrace COVID-19 Information and Updates page.

For additional information on COVID-19 please visit Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health's Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) webpage.

Additional Resources

As we collectively work through this challenging period together, the County would also like to share helpful resources that are available. We encourage you to visit our COVID-19 Support and Resources page for government resources, and business, agriculture, and economic development supports.

*Last updated: February 16, 2021 at 3:45 pm.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information and Updates