Media Releases and News

Town Lays Off Full-Time Staff In Response To Revenue Shortfall The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville announced today that because of shortfalls in revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, 19 unionize and non-unionized full-time staff have been temporarily laid off. The staff layoffs are contained to the Leisure and Community Services Department and will result in the complete closure of all Town facilities, the cancellation of all Town events and the cancellation of all programs and camps, both online and in-person.  The layoffs will be for a minimum of 12 weeks and are effective immediately. “This is a sad day

Town Offering Tax and Water Billing Relief Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville Council on Tuesday approved a COVID-19 deferral policy for water and tax bill relief. There is now a 60-day grace period for upcoming tax and water payments to relieve property owners requiring financial support due to the pandemic.The grace period applies to any tax or water bill with due dates between January 27, 2021 and June 30, 2021. Property owners wishing to request deferral of payments for the bill due date of January 27, 2021 have until February 3, 2021 to make such requests providing payment has not already been

Town Reopens Outdoor Skating Rinks, Toboggan Hills For 2-Week Trial Period On January 13, the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville closed all Town operated outdoor skating and community rinks in response to the State of Emergency and Stay-At-Home Order issued by the Provincial government. The closures were done in an effort to maintain Whitchurch-Stouffville as a safe and healthy community during these pandemic times. On January 14, the Provincial government clarified its position regarding outdoor recreational amenities. As a result of these clarifications, effective immediately, the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville will open Greenwood Park outdoor rink (weather permitting) and monitor Memorial Park &

Town Responds To Further Provincial Lockdown Measures As a result of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s announcement today of extended COVID-19 lockdown measures, the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville has closed or further limited several services. To help further stop the spread of the virus, Whitchurch-Stouffville Town Hall remains closed, and services requiring appointments have been suspended.  The Town has also closed all outdoor skating rinks, toboggan hills and the off-leash dog park for the next 28 days. All town trails, including those at the Stouffville Reservoir, will remain open and residents are reminded to please adhere to social distancing practices.  Please note

Town to Expand Enforcement of Private Gatherings The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville would like to remind residents that York Region continues to be under the Red Control Zone for COVID-19 restrictions. Under these the Red Control restrictions,social gatherings, including those associated with a wedding, funeral, or religious service, are restricted to 5 people indoors and 25 people outdoors, trips outside of the home should only be for essential reasons (work, school, groceries/pharmacy, health care, assisting vulnerable individuals or exercise and physical activity)families should not visit any other household or allow visitors in their  homes everyone should avoid social gatherings, and work

Whitchurch-Stouffville Enters Modified Stage 2 The Government of Ontario announced this afternoon that York Region will be placed under Modified Stage 2 COVID-19 restrictions, effective Monday, October 19, 2020 for a period of at least 28 days. These restrictions include Whitchurch-Stouffville. In accordance with the province’s guidelines, the Town is required to close the following locations: The Lebovic Centre for the Performing Arts (“19 on the Park”); Indoor fitness centre, including fitness studios, at the Leisure Centre; and Indoor gymnasium (including gym programs) at the Leisure Centre. The following facilities and/or programs will remain open with little or no new

Town Hall To Remain Closed Until The New Year In an effort to fight the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Whitchurch-Stouffville Town Hall will remain closed to the public until at least January 4, 2021. Town Hall, located at 111 Sandiford Drive, Stouffville, has been closed to residents since March 13, a week before Town Council declared a State of Emergency. “In the best interest of public safety, we feel that Town Hall should remain closed,” said Town Chief Administrative Officer Rob Adams. “We are following the lead of many other municipalities in York Region and the GTA and will

Town Fitness Facilities Are Now Open As of Monday, August 24, the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville Fitness Centre in the Leisure Centre has re-opened with new procedures and protocols in place to maintain a safe exercise environment. Due to COVID-19, the fitness centre has been closed as of March 15. Due to the province’s Phase Three regulations, the fitness centre is permitted to open. “We are excited to safely welcome the community back into our facilities,” said Marilou Murray, Director of Leisure and Community Services. “We have taken this opening very seriously and are committed to ensuring we’re doing whatever we

Library to Resume Offering Full Service Starting August 25 The Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library will open stage three of its phased reopening plan on Tuesday, August 25. “We are so excited to fully re-open our doors to our community!” says Margaret Wallace, WSPL Chief Executive Officer. Customers will be able to browse the Library collections, use computers, book study rooms, access photocopying and printing services, and pick up holds. As a courtesy to others who wish to use the Library, we ask that visits be kept to one hour or less. Physical distancing measures, hand hygiene, and mandatory face coverings are

Town Launches New Online Events Calendar The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville has launched a new events calendar on their L4A.ca – Everything Stouffville website. The calendar, located at L4A.ca/events, lists events located in Whitchurch-Stouffville and open to the general public. All businesses, for-profit organizations, non-profit organizations or charities who operate in the town, can submit their events for listing. “We hope to capture many of the town’s great events,” said David Tuley, Whitchurch-Stouffville Economic Development Officer. “We want to list everything – major fundraisers, annual-semi-quarterly activities, live shows, walks-in-the-forest, Christmas craft shows, business or community interest lectures, studio tours, runs and

Town Offers Relief To Those In Need Regarding Tax & Water Payments On July 16, 2020, during a Special Council Meeting, the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville Council approved an application process to defer tax and water payments for those who have financial difficulty due to COVID-19. Applications will be made in writing via email to deferrals@townofws.ca. Pending application, residents will have 60 days after the due date for no penalties or interest for all tax/water bills with due dates until December 31st. This deferral program begins on July 17, 2020. Applicants must apply within two weeks following July 17, or no

Town Offers ‘Camp-in-a-Box’ Alternative to In-person Summer Camps Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville has launched a “Camp-In-A-Box” program for kids ages 4-13 who are unable to attend in-person camp programs.There are 3 levels of “Camp-In-A-Box,” each one catered to an age group: 4-5, 6-9, and 10-13. They will contain new activities each week and you will require one box per child. Each box will contain activities and the necessary supplies for the week, other than some common items you may already have at home (scissors, pencil crayons, etc.). All activities come with complete instructions. Some adult supervision may be required depending on

Face Mask or Covering Mandatory in York Region, including Whitchurch-Stouffville, Effective Friday, July 17 York Regional Council yesterday endorsed a recommendation from York Region Medical Officer of Health Dr. Karim Kurji to issue an instruction requiring operators of enclosed public spaces in York Region to have a policy in place that prohibits persons from entering premises of the establishment if the person is not wearing a face mask or covering. The Regional Municipality of York has endorsed this instruction issued by Dr. Kurji under the authority of the provincial Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act as a measure to further

Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library Announces Phase Two Reopening The Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library will launch phase two of its staged reopening plan on July 21, 2020. This phase will allow customers entry into the Library to use computer, photocopier, and printing services. Customers wishing to use Library computers will have to make a reservation and will be granted a 45-minute block of computer time per day, per Library card. At this time, no gaming is allowed. Computers and computer equipment will be cleaned and sanitized before the next reservation block to ensure public safety. “We are excited to re-open our doors to our community,”

Town launches COVID-19 Reopening Website The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville has launched a new website outlining the Town’s reopening plan in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.  StouffvilleReopens.ca outlines the Town’s plan for a gradual, safe and measured reopening of municipal facilities and the restart of Town services and programs. “StouffvilleReopens.ca outlines the steps the Town will take to keep our residents and employees safe,” said Mayor Iain Lovatt. “It provides a roadmap to our future – in a world where COVID-19 is still present and every precaution is needed.” Since COVID-19 began to spread in Whitchurch-Stouffville in March, the Town has

Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library to begin Summer Reading Club The 2020 TD Summer Reading Club at the Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library will kick off on Saturday, June 20. The TD Summer Reading Club is Canada’s biggest, bilingual summer reading program for children of all ages, all interests and all abilities. Sponsored locally by Tiny Seedlings, this year’s theme is sports. With the realities of COVID-19, the Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library has made changes to keep all of our customers safe while participating in the Summer Reading Club and will be held entirely online only this year. The library will be using a software program

Town Reminds Residents That Parking By-laws Are In Full Effect The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville would like to remind residents and business owners that parking restrictions and by-laws are still in full effect. With the summer weather now here, and in combination with the recent COVID-19 pandemic where residents are spending more time at home enjoying family walks on Town streets, residential roadways have become busier than normal. The Town reminds residents to take safety into account when parking and walking in their neighbourhood. “Our top priority is the safety of our residents,” says Teresa Hector, Whitchurch-Stouffville Supervisor of Municipal Law

Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library Announces Start of Curbside Service The Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library will be resuming partial operation via curbside pick-up service beginning June 9, 2020. Curbside service includes all material excluding magazines and items from the local history collection. Customers are now able to place holds online through wsplibrary.ca. When holds become available, library staff will notify the customer when they can pick up their material. “We look forward to providing this service for our community,” says Margaret Wallace, WSPL Chief Executive Officer. “We have listened to our customers when they indicated they would like access to physical library materials

Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library Developing Plans to Resume Specific Services In the Government of Ontario’s May 14th released list of Stage 1 openings, public library services may resume for pick-up or delivery as early as May 19th. While Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library (WSPL) appreciates that library services are highly valued by the community, WSPL is delaying an immediate launch of such services until processes and measures have been fully developed to ensure our staff and community’s health and safety during these uncertain times. “We have been actively reviewing government recommended guidelines as they are determined, and we have ordered new and necessary

Online Storefront Comes To Town’s Business Website The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville is excited to announce the launch of ‘Phase Two’ of our new business-oriented website L4A.ca – Everything Stouffville. On Friday, the website launched a new online shopping platform aimed at helping local businesses get their product information out the world, and to let customers buy online directly from them. “This is great addition to the website,” said David Tuley, Economic Development Officer of the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville and team lead. “Now when you visit the business directory, you can access their products directly from the business’s profile page.” The

Town Launches Website Promoting Local Businesses The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville has launched a dedicated website to help support local businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. “L4A.ca – Everything Stouffville” was created to help the community find and support local businesses that are open and providing their products and services to Stouffville.  The site hosts an ever-growing list of businesses in Whitchurch-Stouffville with complete contact information. “This site was launched in the middle of the pandemic when our local businesses needed immediate action,” says Whitchurch-Stouffville Mayor Iain Lovatt. “The greatest challenge for customers right now is to know which businesses are operating.