With the holiday season in full swing, there are many closures to take note of across Chatham-Kent over the next week and a half.
For anyone using public transportation, Ride CK service will not be operating on December 25, 26, and January 1.
There will be no schedule changes to waste and recycling collection in Chatham-Kent. Transfer stations will be closed on December 25 and January 1 and open December 27 and January 3.
Meanwhile, municipal leaf and yard depots are closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The Chatham and Romney Locations are open December 27 and January 3. Christmas trees will be accepted free of charge at all leaf and yard depots.
As always, emergency services will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, The municipal fire administration office will be closed from noon on December 24 until 8:30 a.m. on December 29 and closed from noon on December 31 until 8:30 a.m. on January 4.
The Health and Family Services building will also be closed at noon December 24 and reopen on December 29. The office will close again on December 31 and reopen on January 4. This includes the offices of Employment and Social Services, Housing Services, Child Care and Early Years, and Public Health. The Employment Resource Centre in Chatham will be following the same schedule.
Entegrus and the Public Utilities Commission will be closed from December 24-28, and December 31-January 3.
All public libraries branches across Chatham-Kent will be closed from December 24-27 as well as December 31-January 1. Libraries will be open their regularly scheduled hours from December 28 to the 30th.
In lieu of Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, a majority of services at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance will also be unavailable on Monday, December 27, Tuesday, December 28, and Monday, January 3 in addition to the regular weekend closures.
Despite all the closures, there are still many things to keep families busy over the holiday break.
The Blenheim Gable Rees Rotary Pool and Wallaceburg Sydenham Pool will close at 1 p.m. on December 24 and 3 p.m. on December 31. Both pools are closed on December 25, 26 and January 1.
A complete holiday recreational swim schedule can be found by clicking here.
All arenas in Chatham-Kent are closed from December 24 to the 26th and on January 1. However, free skates are being offered at the Blenheim, Thames Campus, Dresden and Tilbury arenas on December 31.
The holiday skate schedule can be viewed here.
There are a couple of emergency response lines that will be available for residents throughout the holidays.
The Homeless Response Line at 519-354-6628 for homeless emergencies within Chatham-Kent is operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Public Health King Street will be closed from December 24 to December 29 and again from December 31 to January 4. However, essential after-hours public health services are available by calling 1-866-446-8207.
The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance's Rapid Access to Addiction Medicine Clinic, which operates Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, will also be closed throughout the holidays. Anyone facing an immediate crisis should call the crisis line at 1-866-299-7447 or visit the emergency room.
For anyone needing a COVID-19 test over the holidays, The COVID-19 Assessment Centre on Grand Avenue in Chatham, will be closed on Christmas Day. The assessment centre will remain open throughout the rest of the holidays to accommodate testing, including Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
The Paediatric Assessment COVID-19 Centre located at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Chatham Site will be closed on December 23 up to and including December 27. It will be open on December 28 and December 29 and then remain closed until January 4.
