Calgary will end its masking bylaw when Alberta removes provincial mandate

Calgary councillors have voted to repeal the city's face covering bylaw, meaning it will be officially lifted when the province ends its Alberta-wide mandate.  

Calgary's face covering bylaw currently requires that masks be worn indoor in public places including public transit. An exemption is in place for people with various medical conditions.

The province lifted mask requirements for schools on Monday and the Alberta-wide mask mandate is expected to be finished as of March 1, depending on Alberta's COVID-19 hospitalization rates.

On Tuesday, councillors voted 13-2 in favour of repealing the Calgary bylaw.

“We are still in an environment where the mask mandate applies,” Mayor Jyoti Gondek said.

“March 1st is the date where we are all going to be looking to, to see if there is some sort of evidence that demonstrates that we should be lifting a mask mandate. It may be that it is extended past March 1st, we don’t know right now.

“We have been thrown into an environment by our provincial government where they have handed something down that if we don’t agree with, ‘that’ personal responsibility they wanted us to take, is all we have left now,” said Gondek. 

Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean, who spearheaded the repealing of the bylaw, says he would have liked for it to be finished immediately so the city could fall under the provincial mandate. 

"To me this is redundant,” McLean told reporters. 

"It still accomplishes the same goal," he said. "Everybody can still wear a mask if they feel more comfortable, and I hope everybody respects everybody’s own individual decisions."

Ward 6 Coun. Richard Pootmans said last week he would have voted in favour of repealing the bylaw, but after speaking with constituents he felt he needed to vote it down. 

"Talking to residents, talking to people I represent at Winter Fest, watching the email flow,” he said. 

"The heartfelt emails we receive, these are very different than the anti-maskers that sent out foreign letters."

Council also voted in favour of a recommendation to call on Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw to provide the data the province is using. 

“We have no access to that data right now,” said Gondek. 

Council also repealed masks for those under 12 to be in line with province, which takes immediate effect. 

Previously, everyone age two and older was required to wear a face covering.