St. Albert defers to province for mask mandates
The end of the provincial mask mandate will trigger the end of the city's rules on face coverings.
On June 8 St. Albert city council voted unanimously to lift the local rules when the province enters Step 3 of the summer reopening plan, although the local rules have been suspended since the end of 2020.
If there is another surge or wave of COVID-19, the city could quickly bring back the mask bylaw.
Coun. Sheena Hughes said with the reopening, the province has been taking a cautious approach and tying the lifting of restrictions with vaccination rates.
“I feel comfortable leaving things in the hands … of the provincial health experts to make decisions about whether or not there should be masks,” Hughes said.
Other councillors said they were at ease knowing if there was a future need for masks and the province wasn't acting, the city would call a council meeting to sort it out.
“I trust that Mayor Heron will call a special council meeting if we're really seeing those regional problems that we saw last summer,” Coun. Natalie Joly said.
Last summer, before the province implemented an Alberta-wide mandate, individual municipalities were left to enact their own bylaws. This left some areas of the province under a mask bylaw, with other communities allowing residents to go unmasked in buildings. As a result, some Albertans travelled to communities to spend time under the rules of their choosing.
“That was the concern last summer when we did this in a regional way was that we'd get the people who don't want to wear masks coming to St. Albert, and we'd get people who are supportive of masking going to Edmonton,” Joly said.
“Should this become a problem for businesses, I really encourage everyone to contact us so we know that it is a problem and can do something about it.”
On Dec. 21, 2020, council suspended the City of St. Albert Face Coverings Bylaw, so only the provincial masking requirements were in effect, after the provincial government implemented mandatory province-wide masking in all indoor public spaces on Dec. 8, 2020.
Council voted for the suspension of the mask rules to prevent any confusion for residents between the local and provincial rules.
Originally the city planned to have the municipal mask rules kick back in when the provincial masking mandate ended, with the bylaw coming before council within 14 days of the provincial mask rules expiring.
But the changes at council completely removed the local rules and now the city will look to the province for masking guidance.
When Stage 3 starts on July 1, almost all restrictions will be lifted.
Other municipalities in the region are considering keeping their own local bylaws, such as Edmonton, that currently has their face-covering bylaw expiring on Dec. 31 2021. The city is considering whether they should lift the mandate early and defer to the province.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Spanish prosecutors recommend 2nd investigation into Shakira's taxes be thrown out
Spanish state prosecutors recommended Wednesday that an investigating judge shelve a probe into another alleged case of tax fraud by pop star Shakira.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.