Updated June 22, 2020

On June 22, 2020, Ontario announced that the following public health unit regions will be allowed to move into Stage 2 as of Wednesday, June 24, 2020:

• Peel Public Health
• Toronto Public Health

The following region will remain in Stage 1 until it’s safe to move into Stage 2:

• Windsor-Essex County Health Unit

This list will be updated when the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit region meets the criteria to proceed to Stage 2.

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On June 15, 2020, Ontario announced that the following public health unit regions will be allowed to move into Stage 2 as of Friday, June 19, 2020:

• Durham Region Health Department
• Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit
• Halton Region Health Department
• Hamilton Public Health Services
• Lambton Health Unit
• Niagara Region Public Health Department
• York Region Public Health Services

The following regions will remain in Stage 1 until it’s safe to move into Stage 2:

• Peel Public Health
• Toronto Public Health
• Windsor-Essex County Health Unit

This list will be updated when public health unit regions meet the criteria to proceed to Stage 2.

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On April 27, 2020, Ontario released a Framework for Reopening Our Province. This Framework contemplates the gradual reopening of the province in three stages, with each stage lasting for approximately two-to-four weeks to permit close monitoring of any impacts or potential resurgences of COVID-19 cases.

Following the successful initial loosening of public health measures in Stage 1, Ontario is taking a regional approach to Stage 2 reopening, which will begin on June 12, 2020. The decision to take a regional approach was made because regions in Ontario have had different experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic, and they are not meeting the public health criteria for moving to Stage 2 simultaneously. Regions will be permitted to enter Stage 2 only when public health criteria outlined in the framework are met.

In Ontario, regions are based on public health unit boundaries. A public health unit is a health agency that provides a community health program, and there are 34 public health units in Ontario. The following 24 public health unit regions are permitted to move into Stage 2 as of June 12, 2020:

• Algoma Public Health
• Brant County Health Unit
• Chatham-Kent Public Health
• Eastern Ontario Health Unit
• Grey Bruce Health Unit
• Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
• Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
• Huron Perth Public Health
• Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health
• Leeds Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit
• Middlesex-London Health Unit
• North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit
• Northwestern Health Unit
• Ottawa Public Health
• Peterborough Public Health
• Porcupine Health Unit
• Public Health Sudbury & Districts
• Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services
• Renfrew County and District Health Unit
• Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit
• Southwestern Public Health
• Thunder Bay District Health Unit
• Timiskaming Health Unit
• Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health

The following 10 regions will remain in Stage 1 until Ontario determines that their daily case numbers are consistently decreasing and it is safe for them to move into Stage 2:

• Durham Region Health Department
• Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit
• Halton Region Public Health
• Hamilton Public Health Services
• Lambton Public Health
• Niagara Region Public Health
• Peel Public Health
• Toronto Public Health
• Windsor-Essex County Health Unit
• York Region Public Health

This list, which includes Greater Toronto, will be updated when regions on the list meet the criteria to proceed to Stage 2.

The following can open in Stage 2:

• Personal care services (e.g., barber shops, hair salons, diet centres, piercing services, day spas, tanning salons, and tattoo studios, with the proper health and safety protocols in place)
• Personal services (e.g., house sitting, party and wedding planning, personal organizer services, personal fitness trainers, shoe shining and repair, check room services, and wedding chapels, with the proper health and safety protocols in place)
• Restaurants, bars , food trucks and other food and drink establishments (for dining in outdoor areas only, such as patios, curbside, parking lots and adjacent premises)
• Shopping malls & centres
  
  • Stores in these facilities must follow the same guidance as those set out for other retail services
  • Food services and restaurants with mall-only entrances may open for outdoor dining spaces, delivery and takeout. Dine-in at indoor food courts is prohibited.
  • Entertainment amenities remain closed
• Photography studios and services
• Film & TV
• Tour & guide services (e.g., walking, bike and winery tours, hunting and fishing excursions)
• Water recreational facilities (indoor and outdoor swimming pools, outdoor splash pads and wading pools, with no access to slides and climbing structures; public and in hotels, motels, condos, parks, resorts and other private facilities. Waterparks, wave pools and water slides will not be permitted to reopen in Stage 2.
• Outdoor recreational facilities (e.g., paintball, mini-golf, archery ranges, go-cart track)
• Beaches, parks and camping
  
  • In Stage 1, Ontario Parks opened limited backcountry camping. In Stage 2, Ontario Parks, campgrounds and private campgrounds can also open.
• Outdoor recreational team sports, for training only and with no scrimmages or games
• Drive-in and drive-thru venues (e.g., theatres, concerts, animal attractions and cultural appreciation, such as art installations)
• Weddings, funerals and similar gatherings, with limits for social gatherings of up to 10 people
• Libraries
• Community centres
• Attractions & heritage institutions (e.g., museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos, outdoor heritage institutions)
• Small outdoor events (e.g., cultural celebrations, animal shows and fundraisers in line with gathering-size restrictions)

Bottom Line for Employers

Employers in Ontario regions that are permitted to enter Stage 2 as of June 12, 2020, should not reopen their businesses until they comply with all health and safety requirements, including an appropriate risk assessment and health and safety policy and program.