Cities consider mask mandates as province set to cancel most pandemic tracking
Some Calgary city councillors and mayoral candidates are publicly suggesting a return to mask mandates as COVID cases climb yet again.
Councillors Gian-Carlo Carra and Druh Farrell have both voiced support for an emergency meeting, as has current councillor and mayoral candidate Jyoti Gondek. Fellow sitting councillor and mayoral candidate Jeff Davison has also expressed support as well as disbelief at the provincial government's latest policy to abandon virtually all testing as well as contact tracing and isolation requirements by Aug. 16.
"I think we've been put in a terrible position by this provincial government," Gondek said. "They're not tracing. They are not testing, they're not asking people to isolate [. . .] they are not taking this seriously."
Mayoral candidate Jeromy Farkas disagreed, saying chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw's advice should stand for all jurisdictions in Alberta.
"Dr. Hinshaw has made the call, it's very clear that vaccines are effective and they work, so I think that that we need to stick to the science here," said Farkas. "Public Health is a provincial responsibility."
Edmonton city council will revisit its mask mandate in an emergency meeting Aug. 12, with the endorsement of outgoing mayor Don Iveson.
The consideration comes as infections continue to rise. While doctors say the unvaccinated make up the vast majority of new cases and experience the most severe outcomes, roughly 1.3 million doses of vaccine are sitting in AHS freezers as demand has stalled out.
Children under 12 still cannot be vaccinated because trials have not been completed.
For the fifth day in a row protestors gathered in front of provincial government buildings in Calgary and Edmonton to demand a change in policy.
About 200 assembled in front of the MacDougall Centre Tuesday. One counter protestor was arrested according to Calgary Police.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
AstraZeneca says it will withdraw COVID-19 vaccine globally as demand dips
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Toronto police seek suspect vehicle after security guard shot outside Drake's mansion
Toronto police are seeking help from the public as they continue to investigate a shooting that seriously injured a security guard outside rapper Drake's mansion.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
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.
Seafood, eat food: Calgary Stampede releases Midway menu
The Calgary Stampede has released its menu of sweet, salty and spicy treats available on the Midway for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
These snakes not only fake their own deaths, they use gory special effects to do it
Awards season may be over for human actors this year, but there’s no rest for some of nature’s most audacious thespians.