The City of Edmonton has announced more amenities and facilities will be open to the public as it continues to relaunch the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, paid parking will be reinstated in the coming weeks in the downtown core.

Playgrounds, skate parks

Interim city manager Adam Laughlin announced city playgrounds and skate parks will reopen on Friday. Playgrounds have been closed since the end of March.

Laughlin stressed that city playgrounds will not be sanitized, so users are encouraged to bring their own sanitization products. Physical distancing must also be followed, and Edmontonians are asked to only use the playgrounds and parks in their own neighbourhoods.

Signage will be posted at all city parks to ensure people know the guidelines.

“Our expectation is that the guidelines provided by Alberta Health are the rules that Edmontonians should be following,” Laughlin said.

“Play safe, stay safe.”

When it comes to the city’s 11 skate parks, Laughlin said enforcement will be increased due to the challenges of keeping a safe distance from others. If physical distancing rules are not followed, Laughlin said the city will not hesitate to close them again.

Outdoor courses, courts

Outdoor courts — including pickleball, volleyball, basketball and disc golf — will also reopen beginning Friday. Tennis courts will take a bit longer to reopen, Laughlin said, due to the efforts needed to clean the surfaces and install nets.

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The city encourages people to bring their own equipment and once again stressed the amenities will not be sanitized by city officials.

Open spaces, such as picnic areas as well as drinking fountains, will not be opened just yet. The funicular will remain closed, and rentals for paddleboards, kayaks and other water equipment will not be offered at Rundle and Hawrelak parks.

Booking of premier sports fields and facilities also remain closed until at least June 14, Laughlin said.

Increased services at Animal Care and Control

While Animal Care and Control has remained open through the pandemic, the intake of healthy stray animals was cut off. Beginning May 25, the facility in northwest Edmonton will begin accepting healthy dogs again.

Intake numbers will depend on how successful the agency is in getting those animals out to other rescue groups. Animal Care and Control will not be accepting health cats just yet — city officials said they will see how the intake of health dogs goes first.

In addition, Animal Care and Control will also offer increased microchip scanning for dogs that are found.

Reinstating paid parking in the downtown core

Traffic and parking congestion in the downtown core has steadily increased in the past few weeks, according to the city. As such, the city plans to reinstate paid parking in the downtown core on June 8.

Parking rates will be reduced in some locations where congestion isn’t as high, Laughlin said, and a 30-minute grace period for expired parking will be honoured.

Payment machines will be cleaned more often and education regarding the safe use of the machines will be offered. The city’s My EPark mobile app for Apple and Android also offers contactless options to pay for parking.

Edmonton Valley Zoo

Laughlin announced the city is aiming to reopen the Edmonton Valley Zoo on June 15, with some restrictions.

Capacity at the zoo will be limited to 50 per cent. Tickets will be sold online only and only 90 tickets will be issued for every 30-minute window.

One-way flow through the zoo grounds will be established to support physical distancing rules and all visitors will be encouraged to wear a mask.

E-scooters still under discussion

While the City of Calgary announced Thursday that e-scooters will return to city streets, the City of Edmonton said it is still having discussions on whether they will be back on Edmonton streets this summer.

Laughlin stressed the relaunch is a multi-step and layered process. He said the lag time of the city’s performance can be up to 14 days until they assess the impact of the progress that’s being made.

“Even though daily health statistics are encouraging, the virus is still with us.”

Laughlin also recommended that the state of local emergency be renewed for another seven days.

Mayor Don Iveson and Laughlin are scheduled to speak to the media Thursday evening, after the emergency advisory committee meeting ends. The announcement will be streamed live in this story post.

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