Calgarians may still be required to wear face masks through July, despite Alberta's Stage 3 reopening
While the province prepares for a full reopening on Canada Day, Calgarians may still have to wear masks for at least another month.
As the city heads into a scheduled quarterly review of the mask bylaw Monday, a recommendation before councillors is to maintain the mask bylaw until July 31.
City of Calgary administration says the extension is needed to ensure the province's reopening plan does not spark a new wave of COVID-19 infections.
As councillors debate the bylaw, they are under significant pressure from Premier Jason Kenney to get in line with the province's July first limiting of restrictions
"I would just hope that everyone in the province follows the advice of the chief medical officer proposed," said Kenney when asked about Alberta cities possibly maintaining mask bylaws. "I have got to believe that our municipal leaders will respect to the plan put forward by the chief medical officer, and the public health team."
Mayor Naheed Nenshi says the province’s decision to eliminate its mask regulations codes not force the city’s hand. At a press conference last week, Nenshi said any extension of the mask bylaw past July 1 is in the hands of local authorities.
"We here at the City of Calgary have to make a decision for Calgary based on the very local issues here, based on the outbreaks here, based on the variants here, based on the neighbourhoods here, and so we will make that decision," said Nenshi, before adding that any extension of the bylaw will likely be short-lived.
"Ultimately we're probably talking about a difference of a few weeks at most, so I'm speculating, but I would find it hard to imagine that we would not repeal the face coverings bylaw by the end of July at the latest."
Calgary’s mask bylaw came into effect July 21, 2020. Since then, it has been amended several times raising the fines from $50, to $100 and finally to $500 for contravening the bylaw. It also sparked significant protests from groups claiming the mask bylaw infringed on their personal freedom.
Calgary council is being presented with four choices on how to proceed with the mask bylaw.
The City of Calgary’s original plan, when the bylaw was first introduced, was to repeal it when 75 per cent of eligible Calgarians were fully vaccinated. It now admits that is a threshold that may never be met.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
A Nigerian chess champion plays the royal game for 60 hours - a new global chess record
A Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate played chess nonstop for 60 hours in New York City's Times Square to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.