COVID-19 Status Update

July 16, 2020

To aid in resident's understanding of Hinton Emergency Operation Centre, Hinton Town Council, and Town of Hinton Administration responses to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic event, this update gathers recent news into one document. While emergent issues and information will continue to be shared as necessary, weekly updates going forward will use this format to gather, but also distinguish between, actions in place in the community.

Updates Section

This section of our update document will itemize updated information for easy access, while the document overall will continue to repeat relevant sections from previous weeks' updates. Strategic Services considers all information presented below important to our local audiences.

New July 16, 2020

Updated Opening Plans
Drinnan Notice
Minute with Council

Physical Distancing, Provincial Group Restrictions, and Cleaning Practices Must Continue
It is essential that residents and businesses understand that suppression activities, in particular maintaining safe distances, must be maintained.

If not maintained, transmission will rapidly rebound, potentially producing an epidemic comparable in scale to what would have been seen had no interventions been adopted.

The Town, and Province, need your help to continue to restrict your activities in the interest of community health. Distancing, hand washing, and sanitizing is absolutely crucial.

Residents, businesses, and visitors choosing to remain non-compliant on physical distancing or gathering parameters can, and should, anticipate provincial fines being levied directly moving forward.

Events or Gatherings of 200 or more in an outdoor space and 50 or more indoors can, and will, be ticketed under provincial restrictions.
There are exceptions, as listed below.

Hinton Emergency Operations Centre

The Hinton Emergency Operations Centre has concluded it's SOLE. As result, we now operate entirely under the restrictions of the province. As such, this section will now be used to share changes in provincial statuses relevant to the community. This is provided for ease of access - please refer to the Provincial website for up to the minute information.

Masks for Albertans program

Restaurant locations
Free masks are available at Alberta A&W, McDonald’s Canada and Tim Hortons restaurant locations. Masks can be picked-up in restaurant at the counter or through the drive-thru while supplies last.

Restaurants are handing out eight masks per person for this distribution. Albertans are encouraged to pick-up masks for family and friends to reduce traffic at partner restaurant locations.

Read more here.

Phase 2 Reminder

Phase 2 remains in effect for the Province of Alberta. Please view the below reminders, and access the link below to find further information.

Up to 200 people can now attend audience-type community outdoor events, such as festivals, fireworks displays, rodeos and sporting events, and outdoor performances.
All public health measures, including physical distancing, remain in place. Seated outdoor events will still require the necessary space between families and cohorts within stadium-style seating.
The 100-person limit remains in place for other outdoor events and indoor seated/audience events.
The limit for indoor social gatherings, including wedding and funeral receptions and birthday parties, remains at 50 people maximum.

Still not approved in stage two

Social gatherings that exceed above listed maximums
Regular in-school classes for kindergarten to Grade 12. Classes will resume September 2020
Vocal concerts (as singing carries a higher risk of transmission)
Major festivals and concerts, large conferences, trade shows and events (as these are non-seated social events and/or vocal concerts)
Nightclubs
Amusement parks
Hookah lounges (permitted for food and drink only)
Major sporting events and tournaments
Non-essential travel outside the province is not recommended. This recommendation will not be lifted until stage three of the relaunch strategy.

The success of stage two will determine when Alberta progresses to stage three. Factors are active cases, health-care system capacity, hospitalization and intensive care unit (ICU) cases, and infection rates.

For more information, visit alberta.ca/RelaunchStrategy.

For residents ease, please find images representing the above, below.

Using Outdoor Spaces

Sharing the path
People of all ages and mobility enjoy the outdoor paths. Please be considerate and aware of all path users.

All cyclists should be using their bell when passing others on the paths. When you are approaching someone, ring your bell, slowdown, and pass off path when safe to do so.
If you are using the paths and you hear a bell, please slow down, look around, and move off path if you need to.

Runners please allow enough room to safely pass others.

Hinton Town Council

The most recent Regular Meeting of Council was July 14, 2020. Action items included: 2019 Consolidated Financial Statements of the Town of Hinton, Northwest Alberta Charging Network, Municipal Asset Management Program Grant, Procurement Policy FN-1300, Solid Waste Management Program, January - April 2020 Year to Date Financial Statements and Capital Project Plan, and the Municipal Emergency Management Plan. View the video online via YouTube at Hinton.ca/CouncilLive, or find the briefs here.

Council meetings are closed to the public and occurring via teleconferencing. However, they are being live streamed via Youtube to allow residents to remain engaged in the democratic process in this pandemic event.

Minute with Council Access

Early in the Town Response to COVID-19, Town Council meetings were moved to remote environments, closed to the public, and streamed online to allow for easy access by residents. However, one aspect of our Council meetings that was lost in this necessary response was Minute with Council.

Traditionally, Residents have been welcomed to speak to Council about issues, events, celebrations or concerns during Minute with Council. At the beginning of each Council Meeting, the chair of the meeting opens the floor to the public to speak and share with Council members, administration and meeting observers.

As we determine the "new normal" in this pandemic response, the Town of Hinton has established a procedure to take part in Minute with Council remotely, temporarily, as we prepare for further steps in our reopening plans.

This process is being established to avoid risks of public meeting teleconferencing, such as inappropriate or abusive interjections by anonymous or false identities.

We appreciate your understanding should this cause any inconvenience for you.

Please use this form to receive an invite code to join our proceedings remotely.
Should you encounter difficulty using the form, please call 780-865-6072.

Town of Hinton Administration

Facility Opening Plans

For residents convenience, the Town of Hinton has prepared, and updated, the above image representing open statuses and plans for many core facilities.

For further reference on Community Services' statuses and updates, please view tomorrow's edition of ComServ (more information below)

Reopened

Spray Park/Change Rooms
All Outhouses
Protective Services Building (RCMP)
Infrastructure Services Building
Government Centre
Courts/Other Indoor Facilities
- Bouldering Wall will remain closed until precautionary measures are in place.
West Fraser Guild
- Full Opening Tentative: August 4, 2020
Emergency Services Building (Fire Hall)

Hinton Municipal Library
Phase 2 now in place! Phase 2 of the library's Relaunch Transition Plan expands on appointment only services including lobby pickups, exam proctoring, and use of public computers.

Kinsmen Park Public Washroom Facilities/Porta-Potties
July

Athabasca Riverfront Park
Targeted for completion July 17, 2020

Pool
(pool opening tentative date: late August)

More information in ComServ.

Arenas
(ice available tentative date: late August)
More information in ComServ.

Youth Centre
Scheduled for Reopening September 7, 2020.

Notice: Drinnan Way Closure Planned to begin July 22, 2020

Town of Hinton Infrastructure Services Division is now able to confirm that the planned closure of Drinnan Way will begin on July 22, 2020, and is expected to be complete by end of day July 23, 2020.

This closure will take place in order to allow for the replacement of a wooden culvert that has reached its end of life. This date has been selected to allow for the presence of all involved partners and utilities.

Please plan an alternate route on July 22 and 23, 2020, to avoid this closure and anticipate delays on alternate routes due to increased traffic. Please also note that transit route times may be behind 10 minutes at each stop for both July 22^nd and 23^rd as the bus drivers reroute due to the construction.

Comserv Issue 4 Now Available

To aid is residents understanding of all of community services current status, plans, and programming, ComServ, a newsletter from Community Services and Strategic Services at the the Town of Hinton, will be issued every other week on Friday mornings. Our most recent edition was July 10, 2020. During the pandemic, the newsletter will be issued through both it's own channel and this (News and Announcements) channel. The newsletter may also be subscribed to directly via NotifyMe, available here, or viewed online at Hinton.ca/ComServ.

Learn More

Town of Hinton Previous Update (April 09, 2020)
Town of Hinton COVID Webpage
Town of Hinton Defer Webpage
Town of Hinton SOLE Webpage
Province of Alberta COVID Webpage
Province of Alberta - Emergency Management Act
Government of Canada COVID Webpage
World Health Organization COVID Website

Questions

Residents with questions are asked to contact info@hinton.ca. Responses may be delayed due to EOC needs.

Members of local media with questions are asked to use the Public Information Officer contact information by clicking here or call 780-865-6001 and leave a message. Messages regarding PIO response will be returned within one business day.