Since the Province of Ontario declared a state of emergency on March 17, 2020 to enable protective measures for the public and to slow the spread of COVID-19, the Town of Tecumseh has been operating on the advice and direction of the provincial and regional Medical Officers of Health and directives of the federal and provincial governments. As a result, the Town has enacted emergency planning operations and is focusing efforts on delivering essential services.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) and health care partners continue to focus on public education, testing and treatment for those at most risk of COVID-19. Information regarding vaccination, prevention, self-care and symptoms can be found at the Windsor-Essex Health Unit website.  

Status of Town Services (as of January 3, 2022)

Town Hall and the Tecumseh Arena Offices will be closed to the public through January 31, 2022. The Town’s Fire Halls remain closed to walk-in traffic. Service remains available by phone, e-mail and drop-box. 

Further to the Provincial Announcement on January 3, as of January 5th the Tecumseh Arena will be closed for at least 21 days (January 31).  

Payments made by cheque via the drop-box or through a banking institution are encouraged to reduce in-person contact. The secure drop box is located at the front entrance of Town Hall. 

Anyone requiring service can reach office staff by email (recreation@tecumseh.ca) or phone (519-735-4756) and virtual meetings can be arranged if necessary. Outdoor recreational amenities will remain open for public access with a maximum gathering capacity of 10 people.  

Call 9-1-1 for emergency services.

 Status of Town services (as of August 13, 2021)
 
 Customer Service
  • Customer service available during regular business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday at 519-735-2184 by email, phone, online at www.tecumseh.ca and drop box at the front of Town Hall.
 Communications
 Clerks
 
  • Council meetings and Council support
    • Emergency provisions in effect to hold Council meetings electronically with livestreaming to Town website at www.tecumseh.ca
  • Notice of meeting agendas, minutes, delegation requests can be found on our website.  
  • Board Meetings
    • Emergency provisions in effect to hold Police Services Board and Business Improvement Area Board Meeting electronically with livestreaming.
  • Committee of Adjustment is meeting electronically.
  • Senior workshops and student wellness workshops are cancelled
  • Processing of Freedom of Information Requests
  • Burial Permits and Death Registrations are being processed electronically.
  • Commissioning services are by appointment.
  • Marriage Licensing and marriage ceremonies are by appointment.
  • Records management – emergency purposes
  • Insurance & risk management
 Tecumseh Fire & Rescue
  • Emergency response for fire suppression, rescue and medical response
  • Fire code inspections for life-safety, complaint-driven inspection requests
  • Community Emergency Management Coordinator for emergency operations for COVID-19 and inland lake flooding
  • Car seat installation service by appointment only
  • Burn permits may be submitted via email (dkelly@tecumseh.ca) or in person between 8:30 & 4:30 Mon to Fri at Station 1 (985 Lesperance Road)
  • Services suspended:
    • In-person routine fire code inspections
    • In-person public education events
 OPP - Community Policing
  • The Ontario Provincial Police has restricted access to its facilities, including detachments, across the province until further notice. Anyone seeking entry to an OPP detachment must make an appointment. Individuals will be pre-screened and are required to have proper personal protective equipment prior to entering the detachment.
  • Delivery of policing services as per usual with reduced direct public interface
  • Front-line support screening for COVID-19 and directing calls
  • Prepared to assist with Provincial Orders under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act
  • Due to COVID-19, and the gradual movement through the stages of reopening of Ontario, the OPP is currently experiencing an extremely high volume of police record check requests. In order to effectively meet the demand and process the volume of checks as expeditiously as possible, the OPP has temporarily transferred the criminal record check process back to detachments while an enhanced online central intake and payment model is finalized
  • Criminal record checks to support essential functions such as emergency services, health care, social services and childcare are being processed. The OPP is limiting the processing of routine criminal record checks/vulnerable sector checks and finger printing to essential workers/volunteers only. Applicants may be required to attend the local OPP detachment if fingerprinting is required. Applicants will be contacted by their local detachment to provide identification and to obtain their results. 
 Public Works & Water Services
 
  • Lake flooding responses and bags available
    • call 519-735-2184, Ext. 142 to request sand bags
    • Public Works staff will deliver bags to the home
    • sand is available in the parking lot of Lakewood Park
  • Monitoring the shoreline
  • Evacuation planning
  • Storm water pumping stations
    • maintenance, operations, readiness testing
  • Storm water collection systems
    • maintain system operations
    • clearing grates and catch basins
    • investigating issues and drainage complaints
  • Sanitary sewage pumping stations
    • maintenance, operations, readiness testing
  • Sanitary sewage collection system maintenance
  • Water distribution and storage system maintenance
    • Weekly water sampling in water tower and distribution system
    • System operations per regulatory requirements
    • Watermain, hydrant repairs
    • SCADA alarm maintenance
    • Water meter reading
    • Emergency locates
 Garbage & Recycling
 
  • Garbage collection – weekly collection of residential garbage and recycling
    • Garbage must be placed in tied bags and placed in hard-sided containers
    • Residents are asked to avoid interacting with waste collection crews
    • Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority Website
 Roads & Fleet
  • Patrol roads to maintain in accordance with Minimum Maintenance Standards
  • Municipal right of way safety concerns
  • Maintain traffic signals
  • Winter control
 Transit
 
  • Current transit schedule is in effect 
  • Additional cleaning and disinfection of Transit buses is in effect
  • Masks must be worn at all times while on Tecumseh Transit
 By-law Enforcement
  • Inspections and orders for Property Standards complaints
  • Proactive enforcement of Provincial Orders under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act
Building Services
  • Building, grading, pool and fencing permit applications can be submitted and upon successful review and payment of fees, the permit will be issued
  • Conducting inspections, subject to application of appropriate COVID-19 protocols on job sites
  • Issuing orders under Ontario Building Code Act as required
 Planning & Development
  • Process of planning and development applications can be submitted (with payment) for review. Administrative processing of these applications will continue. At this time, those applications requiring a public meeting in accordance with the Planning Act will be scheduled as available via an electronic meeting.
  • Receiving and processing development applications
  • Official Plan amendments
  • Zoning By-law amendments
  • Site Plan Control
  • Plan of Subdivision
  • Minor Variance
  • Consent
  • CIP Grant applications
  • Enforcement of Agreements
  • Committee of Adjustment also meeting electronically
  • Planning and policy studies and special research projects are continuing
 Development Engineering
  • Work on active Town development projects will continue as scheduled
 Engineering/Construction/Drainage
  • Work on active Town Capital & Drainage projects will continue as scheduled
 Facilities Management
  • Work is continuing on all Town facility construction projects
  • Additional cleaning & disinfection
  • Regular maintenance and safety inspections of Town facilities
 Economic Development
Economic initiatives available to business in Windsor-Essex
 Cada Public Library
 Parks, Trails & Open Space
  • Parks maintenance
  • Turf maintenance
  • Garbage pick-up
  • Parks & trails remain open for public use
    • Minimum 2 m social/physical distancing advised
  • High risk and dead tree inspections and removals
 Recreational Facilities & Programming

On Friday, July 16, 2021, Ontario entered step 3 of the Province’s Roadmap to Reopen. On Monday, August 16, 2021, the Recreation Office at the Tecumseh Arena will have limited opening. Walk-in hours of operation will be 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Please call ahead for an appointment between 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays.

Services available for drop-in at the Arena include:

  • Purchase of tennis/ pickleball keys
  • Registration for recreation programs

Services available by appointment only at the Arena:

  • Park and arena rentals
  • Funding assistance for recreation programs 

Below are the latest re-openings:

  • Fitness classes, personal training and sport training, excluding games and scrimmages, must be provided outside with up to a maximum of ten (10) people.
  • Splash pads at both McAuliffe and St. Mary’s opened on May 31, 2021.
  • The Tecumseh Parks and Recreation Department will begin offering some in-person, outdoor recreational programs for youth, adults and seniors beginning Saturday, June 26, 2021.
  • No summer day camps are offered in 2021 by the Town, however, some weekly outdoor youth activities will be offered.
  • The Tecumseh Leisure Pool is open with limited availability. 

All programming at these locations remain cancelled/suspended.
 Financial Services
  • Taxation services including billing, collection, appeals, customer service continues via phone and email
  • June 28 tax installment may be made via secure drop box at the front of Town Hall or through online or in-person banking at your local branch
  • Water & Sanitary billings via Essex Powerlines
  • All pre-authorized payment withdrawals will continue to be taken on the scheduled dates unless otherwise cancelled by the property owner.
  • Finance, human resources, information systems, administrative services necessary to support the delivery of essential and business services

 Other things we’re doing
  • Increasing the cleaning and disinfection of Town facilities for employees
  • Increasing the cleaning and disinfection of Transit buses
  • Reminding residents to follow the directives and recommendations of Public Health and practice social distancing, avoid touching public surfaces, wash hands with soap and water often, use hand sanitizer and wear a mask
  • Sharing information through social media and through media releases
  • Public washrooms are all closed
  • Cancellation of programming, events, facility rentals until further notice

 What you can do
  • Stay home if you are not well
  • Wear a mask
  • Wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly and often
  • Use alcohol based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available
  • Cough and sneeze into a tissue or your elbow; dispose of the tissue immediately
  • Keep surfaces clean and disinfected at work and at home
  • Make an emergency plan in the event you need to self-isolate
  • Access Town services by phone (519) 735-2184 or on-line at www.tecumseh.ca
  • Subscribe to the Town website for updates
  • For citizens wishing to volunteer in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Non-Government Organizations’ (NGO’s) Alliance has developed a handbook with NGO’s in Ontario with a role in emergency management.  The handbook can be accessed on their website