The mayor of Marmora and Lake has released a statement regarding the municipality and COVID-19.
The letter is below.
I am overwhelmed by the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our community over the last week.
This has been a crisis of unprecedented proportions and things are changing rapidly. I would like to take this opportunity to address and update residents on the response in our area.
The Municipality of Marmora and Lake has enacted measures to address the situation and is communicating constantly both internally and with our external partners in an effort to shift resources to where they are most needed.
Our primary focus is and will remain the health and wellness of our staff and residents along with our continuity of operations.
We will continue to provide the essential services required and will make every effort to support and assist our community partners.
Residents can rest assured that penalty and interest will not be run on water bills or tax accounts at this time. However, we must continue to do business-as-usual where possible so that we can continue to provide essential services, such as clean drinking water and road maintenance.
It is important to stress that this situation will be brought under control, but only if we all heed by the instructions of our Public Health Authorities and various levels of Government.
Please, stay home if you can, use physical distancing strategies to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, and contact Public Health with COVID-19 related concerns.
During this difficult period, I ask that we all look out for our neighbours and friends who are isolated and may be experiencing challenges obtaining food or medication, or who may find that this situation is taking a toll on their mental health. Please, reach out by making a phone call or sending a message to neighbours, friends and family members. For our seasonal residents who have chosen to spend this time in our area, we ask you to please self-isolate appropriately for 14 days. We have amazing service providers and businesses in our area who will help you get the supplies you need, but we are expecting that everyone does their part to physically distance themselves as ordered by Public Health and the Federal Government.
The stress that the next few weeks will place on our first responders is going to be significant, and we all need to do our part to reduce that strain. The Municipality of Marmora and Lake staff and council are working diligently to get information to our citizens. The website is updated frequently and people have been directed to sign up for the email updates on our news page: marmoraandlake.ca/news
Please know that we are grateful for everything that you are doing, and we know it is not easy.
Finally, thank you to our businesses that are still open and serving the public to ensure our basic needs are met and thank you also to the businesses who have had to close their doors.
I am equally grateful for those employees who leave their homes every day, and for those who stay put and help us to flatten the curve.
We will overcome this as a community, and we will rally behind you now and when this pandemic is over.
More detailed information will follow in the next few days, but I want to assure everyone that we are planning and working for a positive outcome – better days are coming.
Jan O’Neill
Mayor Municipality of Marmora and Lake
The Town will continue to provide updates on our website, Facebook and Twitter pages as new information is available. Residents can continue to contact staff at 613 472 2629 or by email (preferred).
The staff contact list is available at https://marmoraandlake.ca/contact
