‘Leading by example,’ City of Toronto to reopen civic buildings in January

The City of Toronto is reopening civic buildings in the new year and asking fully vaccinated employees to return to the office.

Mayor John Tory announced the plans to reopen city buildings like City Hall, Metro Hall and civic centres to full capacity for employees and patrons on Jan. 4.

The city is hoping the move will help encourage other employers to welcome staff back to the office.

“By reopening 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,” said Tory in a statement.

The mayor cautions that with the city monitoring the new Omicron COVID-19 variant situation, things can quickly change.

“We will continue to implement the plan carefully and responsibility,” said Tory. “But we will be watching every single day.”

Public will be able to access the lobby, washrooms, library, and counter services on the first floor of City Hall. They will also be able to attend meetings with councillors.

The city says office staff that have worked from home account for around 25 per cent of the workforce.

Public health measures will remain in place into the new year, including mandatory masking, physical distancing, protective barriers and increased sanitization and cleaning protocols.

“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,” says Tory.

Tory added on Tuesday that the city has a plan to further rollout COVID-19 vaccines – expanding Team Toronto capacity for booster shots for when third dose eligibility is expanded by the province.

Only 23,000 more Torontonians need to receive a first dose of the vaccine for the city to reach its lofty goal of having more than 90 per cent of residents with at least one dose.

“We are less than 1 per cent away,” said Tory.

The city also announced on Tuesday that 10 per cent of Toronto kids have already received their first dose after eligibility for children five to 11 opened on Nov. 25.

The shot has been administered to more than 21,000 children in the city.

With files from CityNews reporter Momin Qureshi