Today, the Government of Ontario announced an emergency brake shutdown for all public health regions in the province. The shutdown restrictions will take effect as of Saturday, April 3, 2021 at 12:01 am and will be in effect for 28 days.
For more information on the emergency brake shutdown and the new restrictions, visit the Government of Ontario’s COVID-19 shutdown zone page.
What does this mean for you and your region?
During this emergency brake shutdown, everyone in Ontario is strongly advised to stay at home, avoid social gatherings, minimize travel between zones, and limit contact with those from outside of their household.
Open Houses & Door Knocking
Starting Saturday, April 3, 2021 at 12:01 am, open houses are prohibited across the province. Scheduled in-person showings are permitted, provided they follow all health and safety guidelines. Even then, I urge Ontario REALTORS® to advise clients to use virtual open houses, virtual showings, and digital documents first and to the greatest extent possible.
This also means door-to-door knocking and canvassing neighbourhoods should not be taking place at this time. REALTORS® are strongly advised to connect with clients primarily through phone and video calls.
For safe in-person showings protocol, please visit OREA’s Guidance for Safe In-Person Showings. This guidance document also includes information about showing tenanted properties. It is critically important that REALTORS® work proactively and positively with tenants to accommodate their concerns around health and safety and take every care not to put them at risk.
For the Government of Ontario announcement, please visit the Ontario Newsroom News Release.
While this is certainly tough news to hear, I know how resilient and adaptable Ontario REALTORS® are. Let’s continue to follow all public health measures in order to keep our communities safe, protect our clients and curb the spread of COVID-19 and the variants of concern.
Thank you,
David Oikle
OREA President
Brampton Real Estate Board 