'People are furious that it took so long': Alberta mayors react to latest COVID-19 measures
Less than 24 hours after Jason Kenney's Alberta government announced new restrictions aimed at easing the burden on the province's health-care system, municipal leaders are trying to gain clarity on what the new rules will mean for their jurisdictions.
The new measures announced by the province on Wednesday include a proof of vaccination system, one that the government stopped short of calling a "vaccine passport."
"It’s my own personal frustration," St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron said during a special council meeting on Thursday. "If the province had just said 'passport program across Alberta, any non-essential by Monday,' then we wouldn’t even be having this meeting today."
The City of St. Albert will be opting in to the province's Restrictions Exemption Program that is set to take effect on Monday, but is still waiting for the new provincial rules to be officially put into writing.
"By imposing this small restriction on our citizens, we open up civic facilities for their use as widely as possible," said St. Albert Coun. Wes Brodhead.
Meanwhile, just south of St. Albert, Edmonton's mayor had strong language to share on the provincial government's recent decision making.
"I think the performance of the Government of Alberta speaks for itself at this point," Mayor Don Iveson told reporters. "As an Albertan I’m disappointed."
Edmonton's mayor said an earlier implementation of vaccine passports in Alberta would have driven vaccination rates higher. Iveson called the recent loss of life in the province "avoidable" had more measures been taken sooner.
"I think people are furious that it took so long," he said. "That's what I'm hearing from Edmontonians and I share that feeling."
"Waiting for it to be a bad enough crisis that people will take it seriously is the sort of repeated pattern of weak leadership that we've seen on this in Alberta. And it's a pattern that's disrupted a lot of business, created a lot of heartache, put a tremendous stress on our health-care system, and damaged our economy."
Iveson called the province's wording on proof of vaccination "gymnastics," and said the Restrictions Exemption Program will result in added responsibilities for small businesses and cities alike.
"The un-passport, such as it is, at least gives us a consistent tool for people to substantiate their status," he said.
"But it represents a huge download on organizations like the City of Edmonton and particularly small businesses to now have to administer this and opt in, versus the other jurisdictions that have just taken a clear, consistent and equitable approach."
In Alberta's other major city, Iveson's counterpart was also critical of the Kenney government on Thursday.
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi expressed concerns over the murky provincial guidance on enforcement of the new restrictions.
"We can enforce the masks, but we can’t enforce the gathering size," said Nenshi.
Right now, Calgary peace officers cannot help police or provincial inspectors with enforcing the new restrictions.
"We're still waiting on more clarity on the orders themselves and what the mechanisms for enforcement will be," Iveson told CTV News Edmonton. "(The provincial government has) got some work to do to clarify all of that because there is some confusion today."
Still, Iveson did give the province some credit, saying the new measures are better late than never.
"At least it's something," he said. "It's better than where we were yesterday."
Members of Strathcona County council will discuss the implications of the new provincial restrictions on its public facilities on Friday.
Thursday afternoon, Strathcona County Mayor Rod Frank tweeted: "As a result of provincial announcement, we must decide if our facilities will be at one-third capacity with restrictions, or to implement vaccine passports (Restriction Exemption Program)."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.