Masks no longer mandatory in Edmonton as of July 1
Masks in public indoor spaces will no longer be necessary in Edmonton as of the province's full reopening on Canada Day, Edmonton councillors decided in a narrow vote on Friday.
The councillors voted 7-6 in favour of dropping the rule as of Stage 3 of the Alberta government's "Open for Summer" plan.
Mayor Don Iveson, Ward 4's Aaron Paquette, Ward 8's Ben Henderson, Ward 10's Michael Walters, Ward 1's Andrew Knack, and Ward 6's Scott McKeen all voted against the motion.
McKeen, representing the dense, inner-city community Oliver, noted he heard a lot of concern about dropping the rule from residents because, he speculated, it feels more threatening downtown than in the suburbs.
"In a place like Oliver, in order to live your life, it means getting the heck out of your apartment and out into some tighter spaces," he told his colleagues.
Henderson referenced a call from the Old Strathcona Business Association to keep the rule until public confidence was higher, so as to not impact local business.
"I think we are also putting the businesses in a difficult situation where a lot of businesses, for the continued protection of their staff, would like to keep masking still in place and are really worried if we don't have their back, it's going to be really hard to do and we're going to put them in conflict with their customers," he said.
Most councillors spoke of a nearly split reaction from their constituents. But a small majority decided to follow the medical advice presented to council and that upon which the provincial government is basing reopening.
Ward 2 Coun. Bev Esslinger commented, "I would encourage everyone to continue wearing their masks. I think I will. That's a recommendation, not a mandate."
Ward 9 Coun. Tim Cartmell voted in support of the motion on the belief the provincial government is best positioned, with a health ministry, of making these decisions.
"We should not be in the position of acting like a senate or a court of appeal," he argued. "It is time to transfer this decision, whether we support it or not, whether we believe what is being offered or not, whether we trust in the politicians or not, to transfer this back to the seat of government that should properly be judging and governing on these matters."
RULE COULD RETURN IF PROVINCE BACKTRACKS REOPENING
The amendment passed Friday would see the city's mandatory face coverings bylaw become effective again if the province were to backtrack to Stage 1 or 2 of reopening, or if the chief medical officer of health required face coverings in public places.
And, among the few public health orders to remain in place after July 1, the province will still require face coverings in settings like public transit and inside city-owned buildings.
The motion at Edmonton City Hall to deactivate the public health measure on Canada Day, in lockstep with the province's full reopening, was defeated by one vote on Tuesday. That day, council decided to hold a special debate and a third reading on the vote. The first two readings passed by a vote of 7-6, with only Coun. Aaron Paquette voting “no” to approve the third reading.
On Friday, he said he had heard of threats made against himself and his family over the debate. He asked for emotion to be removed from the conversation, and his colleagues echoed calls for discourse to remain respectful and thoughtful.
Paquette said he considered what would be the responsible, versus the popular, action to take.
"The problem is, the experts have told us what's reasonable. They haven't told us what's optimal," he commented, calling Alberta's COVID-19 track record "verifiably worse" than other provinces'.
"My concern is that who's put at risk. And of course, it's those who are most vulnerable. Those who depend on government to ensure their safety when other people are not going to be responsible for ensuring that safety."
Earlier in the week, St. Albert voted unanimously to lift local rules on Canada Day with the province. Also in the capital region, Fort Saskatchewan repealed on June 22 its own mandatory face coverings bylaw, which was superseded by provincial orders. Leduc suspended its mandatory face coverings bylaw in March, and Strathcona County let its rule expire in March, as well.
Calgary decided to delay making a decision on its mask bylaw until July 5 to allow more time for residents to get a second dose.
Edmonton began requiring masks in all public indoor spaces on Aug. 1, 2020. The Alberta government didn't make masks mandatory provincewide until December.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Steven Dyer and Jeremy Thompson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.