City council has decided there will be no official Canada Day celebration events this year in case the current health emergency orders are still in place to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

Council approved the cancellation of municipal July 1 activities during its April 22 teleconference session. The cancellation order also applies to this year’s Ottawa River Fest and Seniors Games festivities which were scheduled for this summer.

Residents are encouraged to find ways to celebrate Canada Day at home if the pandemic prevention plan is still in place. This could include taking part in the “virtual Canada Day” celebration that the federal government is developing through the Canadian Heritage department.

Clarence-Rockland’s municipal facilities will remain closed to the public until June 30 unless council decides otherwise. That includes all community halls, municipal parks and play structures, sports fields, skate parks, the off-leash dog park, splash pads, the boat ramp at Parc Du Moulin, the Clarence-Rockland Museum, the Clarence-Rockland Arena, the Jean-Marc Lalonde Arena, and the recreational and cultural complex, which houses the YMCA, Rockland public library branch, and the Salle de spectacles Optimiste Performance Hall.

Council has asked administration and staff to focus efforts on getting the municipal landfill site and the leaf and yard waste transfer station reopened to the public “as soon as possible”. Details on when that will happen will be announced at a later date.