Visiting reopened City facilities
You will find many COVID-19 safety measures in place at our City facilities.
Before you visit
Face masks are required in all City-operated facilities, and we encourage residents to review the self-assessment symptom checklist. Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms will be asked to not enter our facilities. More information can be found on Ongoing response.
Please do not visit a City of Winnipeg facility if you:
- are feeling ill and/or experiencing any of the following symptoms: cough, fever, shortness of breath, runny nose/congestion, sore throat, diarrhea, loss of taste and/or smell, sore muscles not related to overexertion or exercise.
- have had close contact (within 2 metres) with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
- have, within the last 14 days, returned home from travel outside of Canada, from Ontario (east of Terrace Bay), Quebec or the Atlantic provinces.
View safety measures for:
Animal Services safety measures
- Capacity is limited to ensure proper physical distancing guidelines are being followed.
- Hand sanitizing stations are available the entrance.
- Individuals are required to maintain a distance of at least two metres/six feet from every other individual who is not in their household.
- Limited use of washrooms is available.
- Staff are following handwashing protocols and disinfecting surfaces as needed throughout the day.
What can I do?
- Purchase or renew your pet’s license by visiting the front counter on weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
- Adopt a dog by viewing adoptable pets online or on our social media pages and contacting 311 to express interest in a specific dog.
- If you lost your dog check Winnipeg Lost Dog Alert Inc. on Facebook. All stray dogs impounded inside Animal Services are posted on the site then contact 311 to arrange a visit to Animal Services.
What can't I do?
- Visit the dog kennels.
- Book a Doggie Date.
- Volunteer.
Fitness and leisure centres safety measures
- Visitors are required to provide contact information upon entry in the event contract tracing is required by Public Health.
- Capacity is limited to ensure proper physical distancing guidelines are being followed.
- Hand sanitizing stations will be available at each entrance.
- Individuals are asked to maintain a distance of at least two metres from every other individual who is not in their household.
- Booking a time block in advance prior to arriving at the facility is recommended. Reserve a block on leisureONLINE, on-site, or contact 311 for assistance.
- Amenities will be closed to the public for 30 minutes between the two-hour blocks to sanitize and allow for reasonable time for public to vacate prior to the next scheduled block.
- Limited use of washrooms will be available.
- Staff will be following handwashing protocols and disinfecting surfaces as needed throughout the day and between scheduled blocks.
What can I do?
- Visit one of our open fitness and leisure centres and enjoy the amenities.
- Come dressed to use the facility.
- Wipe down fitness equipment after use.
- Bring your own water; limited use of water fountains will be available.
- Make a general facility reservation booking. Note: limitations on building capacity may impact the availability of rooms and number of guests. Persons/groups reserving an amenity must follow all requirements in place.
What can't I do?
- Arrive more than 5 minutes before your scheduled block time.
- Stay longer than your two-hour time block.
- Access lockers, changerooms/showers.
- Fitness drop-in, or drop-in programming.
- Offer private contract services.
- Group fitness classes.
Libraries safety measures
- All individuals entering a library to pick up a hold must wear a face mask.
- Library users are asked to use the self-assessment symptom checklist. Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms will be asked to not enter the library.
- Library users must sanitize their hands when entering the library.
- Library users must maintain physical distancing of two metres/six feet from others at all times.
- Returned library materials are quarantined for a minimum of 96 hours and then processed.
What can I do?
- Beginning March 1, 2021 WPL will be reopening all of its branches for contactless pick-up service and returns, with the exception of Cornish Library which is closed for renovations.
- Place hold requests online, through the WPL Mobile App, or by phone with contactless pick-up at one of the ten re-opened library branches.
- Telephone reference service.
- New temporary online library memberships.
- Return library materials at one of the ten re-opened library branches.
- Visit our digital library any time to access downloadable eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, newspapers, streaming movies and music, and research database.
What can't I do?
- Browse the stacks.
- Use the public computers, printers, photocopiers, and fax machines.
- Use study spaces and tutorial rooms
- Rent meeting and program rooms.
- Book class visits and tours.
- In-person library programming.
- Home service.
- Interlibrary loan service.
Susan A. Thompson Building safety measures
- Hand sanitizing stations are available at each entrance.
- Staff are following handwashing protocols and disinfecting surfaces as needed throughout the day.
- Visitors are required to line up and follow posted instructions (signage and floor markings) for physical distancing guidelines.
- Plexiglass shields are installed at all front counter areas.
What can I do?
- Visit the 311 customer service counter.
- Visit the City Clerk’s Department front counter.
- Watch meetings of Council and Committees of Council on our YouTube channel.
What can't I do?
- Watch a Council and Committees of Council meeting in person.
Winnipeg Police Service stations safety measures
- Visitors are required to line up and follow posted instructions (signage and floor markings) for physical distancing guidelines.
- Hand sanitizing stations are available at each entrance.
- Staff are following handwashing protocols and disinfecting surfaces as needed.
- Plexiglass shields are installed at the front counter.
What can I do?
- File a police report, criminal record/police information checks, non-criminal fingerprinting in person at the Downtown Police Headquarters.
- Residents can make a report or discuss an issue with a police officer at the Downtown Police Headquarters during extended hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
- Report a crime online.
- Have a virtual police assessment if the incident meets the guidelines.
What can't I do?
- File a police report in person at the West, North, and East district stations.
- Visit the Winnipeg Police Museum.
Winnipeg Transit safety measures
- Passengers are required to use face masks while riding Transit or using Transit Plus. Persons under 5 years of age or unable to wear a mask due to medical concerns/limitations are exempt.
- An enhanced cleaning program has been implemented and sees all buses treated with a hospital grade sanitizer at least once every 48 hours, using electrostatic sprayers aimed primarily at high-touch point areas.
- Only buses equipped with operator shields are in operation and operators are mandated to drive with the shields fully deployed.
- Our bus operators have been provided non-medical cloth masks.
- Passengers are asked to maintain a reasonable separation between themselves and others.
- Passengers are reminded to practice good hand hygiene by washing hands before and after riding transit and refraining from touching their face.
- Customers at our Customer Service Centres are required to line up and follow posted instructions (signage and floor markings) for physical distancing guidelines.
- Hand sanitizing stations are available at each Customer Service Centre.
What can I do?
- Check the Winnipeg Transit website for the most up to date schedule and ride a Winnipeg Transit bus.
- Use transit for essential trips, such as grocery shopping or getting to work.
- Consider riding in off-peak hours if possible to help make sure there’s space for everyone who needs it.
- Exit at the rear door if you are able in order to reduce crowding. Passengers who need to exit using the front door, such as wheelchair users, can still do so.
- Visit one of our Customer Service Centres.
What can't I do?
- Ride the bus if you are sick or experiencing flu-like symptoms.