Emergency Declaration officially terminated in Shelburne

March 3, 2022 · 0 Comments

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Almost two years after declaring a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Town of Shelburne and municipalities across Dufferin County are turning the corner to normalcy.

Town of Shelburne has officially terminated its Emergency Declaration as of March 1.

A press release issued by the Town on Feb. 24 said the decision to terminate the emergency declaration was made following consultation with key partners including the County of Dufferin.

“This is in no way a signal that our collective efforts against COVID-19 are over, but it does highlight the fact that we are moving beyond the emergency phase of those efforts. We are able to take this important step because the vast majority of residents have pulled together and have done what was necessary to confront this unprecedented public health challenge,” said Mayor Wade Mills. “I am grateful for the resolve and commitment that has been demonstrated by so many throughout
our community.”

The state of emergency was enacted in Shelburne on March 20, 2020, and provided the mayor with the authority to take actions and make orders to protect property, and the health, safety and welfare
of residents.

During their council meeting on Monday (Feb. 28), Mayor Mills stressed that the state of emergency was a legal declaration to facilitate decision-making authorities, and was not about public health guidelines or polices, which have been given by public health and the province.

He added that the lifting of the emergency declaration had no bearing on health measures or policies and that the Town would continue to take guidance from public health and the province.

Shelburne is joined by several other municipalities in terminating the emergency declaration including Mulmur, Orangeville, Grand Valley, East Garafraxa, Mono and the County of Dufferin.

As of March 1, over 80 per cent of eligible Shelburne residents (ages 5+) are fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccination, according to Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) Public Health.