Canadian municipalities refuse to repeal their mask-wearing ordinances
The Alberta government plans to take away the autonomy of municipalities in setting public health limits.
More and more provinces in Canada are removing covid restrictions. Thus, following Nova Scotia and Quebec, the Alberta government has repealed almost all COVID-19-related restrictive measures, including mask-wearing in most places, capacity restrictions, liquor sales and home-based work. In Calgary, one of the cities in the province, the Face Covering Act ended at the same time.
Not all cities, however, follow province-wide policies. In Edmonton, for example, the mask regime is still in effect. All persons in the city two years of age and older must continue to wear masks in public spaces. The city council does not plan to hold a special meeting on the need to abolish the mask regime until March 8.
This creates a situation in which one province begins to resemble a "patchwork quilt" of individual local politicians. According to Alberta Prime Minister Jason Kenney, this could legitimately lead to division, confusion, and difficulties not justified in terms of public health.
As part of the solution, the Alberta government has announced its intention to introduce amendments to the Municipal Government Act into the Legislature as soon as possible. As a result, municipalities will lose the ability to impose their own public health restrictions.
"What Alberta residents don't deserve right now is uncertainty and confusion," Kenney said at a press conference this past Tuesday.
He also added that the likelihood of municipalities making decisions based on politics rather than science was of great concern to him.
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