What services are impacted by the Hamilton cyberattack?

The City of Hamilton is still recovering from a cyberattack that occurred over the weekend.

The incident occurred on Feb. 25 and has affected multiple municipal systems. Little information has been provided about the cyberattack, with officials saying simply they are working with experts, insurers and legal counsel to investigate.

“Presently, it is too early to identify what type of information has been accessed,” officials said in a bulletin on the city’s website.

“As the investigation and response to this situation is ongoing, the city must be sensitive about what information is shared. The city will proactively provide updates as they become available."

CTV News Toronto has reached out to determine if there is an estimated time of restoration.

Here’s what we know has disrupted:

Taxes

For property taxes, residents can still make payments at their banks or by mail. The city’s Municipal Service Centres are open but there are some restrictions. Anyone enrolled in the city’s pre-authorized payment plans may notice delayed scheduled withdrawals.

The city’s eBilling portal, property inquiry tool, and the city’s online tax service are offline.

Telephone lines

All city telephone lines, including those for city councillors and program areas, are down. The only line available is the customer contact centre (905-546-2489). The city warns of extended wait times as the customer centre has limited capacity.

Transit

The City of Hamilton transit trip planning app is offline, as are the transit service’s email and phone lines. Instead, officials are posting PDF bus schedules to the city’s website.

Bus operators are also driving without the help of their computerized onboard schedule or stop annunciators. Commuters who require assistance should ask the bus operator.

DARTS Transit for individuals requiring wheelchair-accessible service is not impacted. Neither is PRESTO.

Ontario Works and Special Supports

Offices for Ontario Works remain open and monthly payments will be issued, however communication for the programs by phone and MyBenefits are impacted. In-person meetings have been cancelled.

Other city services

Staff are unable to process accounts payable payments to vendors. Vendors are therefore asked to continue sending invoices to the city and payments will be processed at a later date.

Certain online tools for waste and recycling are offline, including requests for green bins and blue boxes, as well as bulk pickup.

Child care offices, which deal with fees and subsidies, are closed.

The phone lines for recreation and senior centres (including long-term care homes) are down, but otherwise, they are fully operational.

The city’s mapping system (GIS Systems) are down, which means residents can’t access interactive zoning maps.

Water and wastewater systems, municipal services centres and citizen service centres are unaffected.

Council meetings

All committee meetings have been cancelled until March 1 due to the system outage. There is also no internet access in council chambers.

A full list of online city services impacted can be found on the City of Hamilton website.