City of Winnipeg closes play structures, eases parking restrictions

Effective Saturday, the city of Winnipeg is shutting down play structures and picnic shelters in all its parks, but also easing parking restrictions on residential streets.

The measures announced Friday also grantan hour's free parking at all metered parking spaces across Winnipeg and postpone any permits for festivals or special occasions until the end of June.

The moves come after a provincial health order earlier in the day limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people.

At an afternoon press conference, Mayor Brian Bowman also announced he will ask Winnipeg's city council to meetnext Fridaytovote for the declaration ofa local state of emergency in light of the COVID-19 crisis.

"We do expect things to getworse before they get better," Bowman told reporters.

• Gatherings will be limited to 10 people in Manitoba as of Monday due to COVID-19

Bowman says a local state of emergency would allow the city "crack down" on price gouging if it occurs and secure real estate if it needs to protect the city's most vulnerable.

"The declaration is not being made today. Council needs to have that dialogue. The public service needs to the tools they need in real time," Bowman said.

Bowman says he is not aware of specific cases of price gouging but wants the city to have the authority to set prices for staple goods if it is needed.

The decision to ask for a state of emergencyis a turnaround from just three days ago.

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Council is also expected to see a report from the city's public service on how the city can postpone property and business taxes for a few months.

Parking restrictions eased

The city will temporarily lift parking restrictions on residential streets where they apply to make it easier for people who are in self-isolation or are working from home.

The city is alsoallowing an hour of free parking at all of its metered spaces across the city and creating15-minutetemporary "curbside pick-up locations" in certainspotsin the downtown and the Exchange District, to facilitate the pickup of food and other goods.

The parking measures do not include the forgiveness of tickets issued during the first weeks of the pandemic emergency, although Jason Shaw, theassistant chief of emergency management said "we are assessing it."

Parking restrictions on major streets will continue as normal.

"If you can't park somewhere, you can't park somewhere," Shaw said.

Bowman saysthe city was also looking at potentially opening fourSunday/holiday bicycle routes earlier than normal.

The four streetsWellington Crescent, Wolseley Avenue, Lyndale Drive and Scotia Street are normally vehicle-freefrom8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays and statutory holidays from the Victoria Day weekend until Thanksgiving.

Winnipeg Transit remains on full service

Shaw told reporters the city would keep a full schedule of Transit buses on the roads, although it was "continually assessing what we need to do there."

Transit, Shaw says, is"incredibly important" to move staff to hospitals and other essential service positions in the city.

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Shaw says drivers have been provided with hand sanitizer and are working with managers on further protection efforts.

Last week the city discontinued the use of any buses that did not have a safety shield installed around the driver's seat.