The Ontario government has issued an emergency order under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act to prohibit organized public events and social gatherings. of more than five people with the exception of Funerals which are permitted to proceed with up to 10 people at one time. [Amended, Jun 11, 2020].
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the AGCO will continue to accept applications for Special Occasion Permits. However, permit applications related to prohibited public events and social gatherings will not be processed until after the emergency order has been lifted or modified.
[Added, Jul 17, 2020]: As of July 17, 2020, Special Occasion permit holders conducting an event where more than 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors are expected to attend should cancel their event. See the July 17, 2020 blog post for more information.
The AGCO will be issuing refunds for application fees paid under these exceptional circumstances. To request a refund, please contact AGCO customer service at customer.service@agco.ca, or call 416-326-8700 (Toll free in Ontario: 1-800-522-2876)
Remember that Everyone in Ontario should be practicing physical distancing to reduce their exposure to other people.
Everyone in Ontario should do their best to avoid close contact with people outside of their immediate families. Close contact includes being within two (2) meters of another person.
Please consider these guidelines and all other government-issued protocols as part of your event planning process, and when applying for a Special Occasion Permit of any size.