At its April 1 meeting, Midland Town Council approved a report recommending Community Relief Measures for Taxes and Utility Interest, that will help alleviate financial concerns for residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.​

Council unanimously approved recommendations from Staff that will see the following:

• The April 20, 2020 interim tax instalment will be deferred to June 29, 2020;
• Interest be waived on all utility accounts until June 30, 2020 after which interest will be applied;
• All returned cheque fees on tax and utility payments will be waived until June 30, 2020;
• Council will request that the County of Simcoe defer the June 30 payment of their levy requirements to September 30 and consider developing a short term loan program for County municipalities to assist through the COVID-19 pandemic if/when required; and
• Staff will report back at the May 20 Council meeting with a further update and recommendations based on financial and economic conditions existing at that time.​

Residents who are on monthly/fixed pre-authorized payments (PAP) will continue to have payments withdrawn unless they request a pause by April 15, 2020. To request a pause and discuss payment options for the remaining two monthly installments (April & May), please contact Jennifer at 705-526-4275 ext. 2226 or jgaerttner@midland.ca.

“Residents currently have enough to be concerned with under these unprecedented times. By approving these community relief measures we are hopefully alleviating some stress on residents so that they can focus on what is really important – following the recommendations of Public Health Ontario and the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit to ensure the health and safety of themselves and their families,” said Mayor Stewart Strathearn. “Practice physical distancing; good hygiene; and, if you’ve travelled recently, have symptoms and/or have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, self-isolate!”

The Town of Midland will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates on the Town of Midland website at Midland.ca, and we encourage residents to follow our social media channels for updates as well, @MidlandON on Twitter, and @townofmidland on Facebook.

For more information on the state of COVID-19 in our area, please contact the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 or visit their website at simcoemuskokahealth.org.