Ontario Announces New Province-wide Limits to the Size of Unmonitored and Private Social Gatherings

On September 19, 2020 the Ontario Government announced reductions in the number of people permitted to attend unmonitored and private social gatherings across the entire province. 

Effective Sep 19, the new limit on the number of people allowed to attend an unmonitored private social gathering across the province is:

• 10 people at an indoor event or gathering (previous limit of 50); or
• 25 people at an outdoor event or gathering (previous limit of 100).

The new limits do not apply to events or gatherings held in staffed businesses and facilities, such as bars, restaurants, cinemas, convention centres, banquet halls, gyms, places of worship, recreational sporting or performing art events. Existing rules, including public health and workplace safety measures for these businesses and facilities, continue to be in effect.

The government had previously implemented these restrictions only in Ottawa, Peel and Toronto Regions, but made the decision to expand them across the province to slow the spread and limit new cases of COVID-19.

The AGCO will continue to accept applications for Special Occasion Permits and Auction Authorizations for events that meet the above social gathering limits and criteria and are located regions that are in Stage 3.

Applications related to public events and social gatherings that exceed these limits will not be processed until after the emergency order has been lifted or modified.

AGCO Compliance Officials will be working to reach out to holders of Special Occasion Permits affected by this change to offer refunds or postponements.  If you are unsure if your SOP is impacted, please contact AGCO Customer Service at customer.service@agco.ca, or by calling 416-326-8700 (Toll free in Ontario: 1-800-522-2876).

Learn how the Ministry of Health is helping to keep Ontarians safe during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus outbreak.

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.

For more information on prohibited events and restrictions that will remain in place during Stage 3, visit Ontario.ca/reopen.