News Release
November 30, 2021

Today, Mayor John Tory and City Manager Chris Murray announced the next steps in the City of Toronto’s reopening and recovery process.

The City will reopen City Hall, Metro Hall and civic centres on January 4, 2022.

At City Hall, the public will be able to access the lobby, washrooms, library, and counter services on the first floor and attend scheduled meetings with Councillors. Hours of operation are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. Note that some in-person services may have their own hours of operation.

On January 4, the City also will be welcoming back all fully vaccinated office staff who have been working remotely. While office staff who have worked from home account for approximately 25 per cent of the City’s overall workforce of almost 33,000, 75 per cent of City staff have never worked from home and have been working throughout the pandemic, and continue to work, on the front lines.  Many office staff started returning to City offices this fall, and on January 4, all office staff will return to the office at least three days per week.

The health and safety of residents, businesses and City staff remain key priorities in all re-opening plans. Provincial and public health guidelines will be in place including mandatory masks, physical distancing, protective barriers and increased sanitization and cleaning protocols. The City continues to closely monitor COVID-19 and its variants, as has been the case since the start of the pandemic, basing its decisions on scientific evidence.

To support this cautious return, starting today, every City office building will be open to the maximum occupancy possible, based on physical distancing requirements and that will increase automatically as the pandemic recedes and physical distancing requirements are lifted by the province. Members of Council will have the option to attend Council and Committee meetings in-person or virtually. Until physical distancing measures are lifted, members of the public will continue to participate in Council and committee meetings remotely.

Opening civic centres to the public and having office workers return, in a safe and responsible manner, is another step in Toronto’s recovery from this pandemic and a return to a more active and thriving downtown core. The return of the City’s office staff on January 4 and adopting a maximum occupancy are important signals to other workplaces that it is time to return and reinvigorate the economy and office areas across the city.

Throughout the pandemic, the City accelerated the digital transformation that was already underway as part of its overall modernization efforts and ModernTO plan, the City’s plan to optimize and modernize its workspaces and how its employees work. During this time, the City has modernized and improved customer experience, making many of its counter services available online and will continue to deliver convenient digital services ensuring choice, accessibility and equity for residents.

The latest information about City services is available on the COVID-19: Changes to City Services webpage.

Quotes

“By re-opening our buildings and bringing back our fully vaccinated office staff, the City of Toronto is leading by example and encouraging other employers to do the same. City staff have laid out a safe and cautious return to office plan and will continue to monitor the pandemic day by day. I am confident that this safe and responsible return to the office at the City and at major employers over the coming weeks will help ensure that Toronto comes back stronger than ever.”

– Toronto Mayor John Tory

“The re-opening of our buildings and return of remote staff to offices signals another important milestone of our City’s recovery. With the health and safety of employees and the public as the highest priority, the City of Toronto’s re-opening plan will bring employees back to the office, open civic centres to the public and help jumpstart the downtown Toronto ecosystem.”

– City Manager Chris Murray

Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Media Relations