COVID-19

COVID-19: Update from Merovitz Potechin LLP

Update: March 2022

As of March 21^st, 2022, masks will no longer be mandatory in most Ontario workplaces. The Province has left it open to each business to make their own decision regarding the mask requirement.

In keeping with our abundance of caution for everyone’s safety, Merovitz Potechin LLP will maintain our masking policy in the office. This decision will be reviewed again over time as the situation continues to change and in accordance with Provincial health guidelines.

In-person client meetings are very limited. Our team members still have access to the tools and technology necessary to assist clients virtually with a high level of expertise and efficiency.

The following procedures are still in place:

Meetings take place virtually. We are equipped to hold meetings via online platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Skype and Zoom. If you have any questions on how to set up a meeting with your lawyer, please contact them directly.
Document exchange should be made electronically whenever possible. We encourage our clients and business partners to save the document as a PDF and circulate it via email.
We will facilitate paper documents located at the office when absolutely necessary and on a case by case basis, while maintaining social distancing.
Our Carling office reception is the main site for deliveries. If you require delivery information, please call 613-563-7544.
Any non-staff members entering the office must show a proof of double vaccination receipt along with a valid photo ID and wear a mask at all times.
We are asking everyone who enters the office to complete an Ottawa Public Health screening questionnaire before they come into the office to ensure they do not have Covid-19 symptoms and for contact tracing purposes.

If you have any questions, please contact our Director of Administration, Laurie Bown at [email protected].

We hope you and your families are keeping safe and healthy.

Update: December 2021

At Merovitz Potechin LLP, the health and safety of our staff, their families and our clients is of utmost importance. We made the decision in March 2020 to close our offices to staff and clients to comply with Provincial Covid-19 safety protocols and keep everyone as safe as possible. Our team has been working remotely since then and have continued to provide our clients with exceptional services from the safety of our homes.

After 23 months of working from home, we are happy to announce that as of February 28th, 2022, we will begin to reintroduce our staff and lawyers back to the office.

All lawyers and staff members have been fully vaccinated (including a booster vaccine), and anyone entering the office, or moving around within the office will be required to wear a mask. We also have the necessary PPE in place around the office to ensue our workspaces are kept clean and team members stay reasonably distanced.

We are not yet opening the office to clients at this time. Our team members still have access to the tools and technology necessary to assist clients virtually with a high level of expertise and efficiency.

The following temporary procedures are still in place:

Meetings take place virtually. We are equipped to hold meetings via online platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Skype and Zoom. If you have any questions on how to set up a meeting with your lawyer, please contact them directly.
Document exchange should be made electronically whenever possible. We encourage our clients and business partners to save the document as a PDF and circulate it via email.
We will facilitate paper documents located at the office when absolutely necessary and on a case by case basis, while maintaining social distancing.
Our Carling office reception is the main site for deliveries. If you require delivery information, please call 613-563-7544.

New procedures as of February 28th, 2022:

Any non-staff members entering the office must show a proof of double vaccination receipt along with a valid photo ID and wear a mask at all times.
We are asking everyone who enters the office to complete an Ottawa Public Health screening questionnaire before they come into the office to ensure they do not have Covid-19 symptoms and for contact tracing purposes.

Our team continues to monitor Government safety protocols and updates, as well as Covid-19 and variant numbers in the Ottawa area and we are prepared to make modifications if the situation changes.

If you have any questions, please contact our Director of Administration, Laurie Bown at [email protected].

We hope you and your families are keeping safe and healthy.

Update: November 2020

At Merovitz Potechin LLP, we have made the physical, emotional and mental health and safety of our staff, their families and our clients our top priority. Our staff and lawyers continue to work remotely from the safety of their homes. All of our team members have been provided with the tools and technology to assist clients virtually with a high level of expertise and efficiency. Our focus on everyone’s wellbeing has reinforced and strengthened our commitment to exceptional client service and teamwork.

Due to the office closure, the following temporary procedures are in place:

Meetings take place virtually. We are equipped to hold meetings via online platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Skype and Zoom. If you have any questions on how to set up a meeting with your lawyer, please contact them directly.

We have a temporary reception location which will be the main site for deliveries. If you require delivery information, please call 613-563-7544.

Document exchange should be made electronically whenever possible. We encourage our clients and business partners to save the document as a PDF and circulate it via email.

We will facilitate paper documents located at the office when absolutely necessary and on a case by case basis, while maintaining social distancing.

We hope you and your families are keeping safe and healthy in 2020.

Update: March 26, 2020

We hope that you and your family are healthy and safe. We intend to keep you informed as the situation with COVID-19 evolves and provide you with the most up-to-date information regarding our office procedures and how we are keeping our clients and staff safe.

Since our last update, we have shut down Ottawa office and all lawyers and staff are working remotely from the safety of their homes. We want to assure you that although our office is closed, we remain open for business and continue to serve our current and new clients. Over the last few days, we have been able to set everyone up with the tools they need to work efficiently and safely. The Government of Ontario recently announced a list of essential businesses to remain open during this time and “professional services including lawyers” has been deemed an essential service. Furthermore, “businesses providing mailing, shipping, courier and delivery services”, “land registration services” and banks/credit units have also been deemed an essential service. This will allow us to continue to meet our clients’ needs.

Due to the office closure, a few changes have taken place:

Meetings will no longer take place in person. We are equipped to hold meetings via online platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Skype and Zoom. If you have any questions on how to set up a meeting with your lawyer, please contact them directly.

We have a temporary reception location which will be the main site for deliveries. If you require delivery information, please call 613-563-7544.

We are doing our best to exchange documents electronically. We encourage our clients and business partners to, whenever reasonably possible, save the document as a PDF and circulate it via email.

We will facilitate paper documents located at the office when absolutely necessary and on a case by case basis, while maintaining social distancing.

While this is a big adjustment for everyone, we are pleased knowing that we can still provide essential services to our clients.

We want to thank our staff, our clients and the entire community for doing your part during this unprecedented time. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Chuck Merovitz at 613-563-6690. We are constantly monitoring the situation and will continue to post updates as things progress.

For the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 in Ottawa, please visit the Ottawa Public Health website. For more information regarding COVID-19 in Canada visit the Health Canada website. You can find a list of all essential services on the Province of Ontario website.

Small businesses or entrepreneurs looking for support and information during this time can read our recent blog post “Special Government Initiatives to Assist Canadian Businesses Impacted by COVID-19.”

Update: March 13, 2020

Due to the continued spread of COVID-19, Merovitz Potechin LLP has been and will continue to be taking precautionary steps to ensure both our staff and clients remain safe. The health and well-being of our employees and clients is of utmost importance to us. We are constantly monitoring the situation and following recommendations by Ottawa Public Health. We continue to remain informed about the steps businesses should take when people are in close contact and we are providing our employees with the most up-to-date information as outlined by Ottawa Public Health and Health Canada. We are taking steps to ensure our office environment is clean and healthy by practicing social distancing, limiting social gatherings, conferences, travel, shared supplies and meetings.

Our offices will remain open at this time and lawyers and staff will continue to provide quality services and support to our clients. We are allowing employees who are able to work from home to do so. If necessary, we have the technology in place to ensure that our lawyers and staff can work from home, allowing us to provide secure and uninterrupted service to our clients.

For the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 in Ottawa, please visit the Ottawa Public Health website. For more information regarding COVID-19 in Canada visit the Health Canada website.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Chuck Merovitz at 613-563-6690. We are constantly monitoring the situation and will continue to post updates as things progress.

Please take care and stay healthy.