Special meeting of Calgary city council called to discuss COVID-19
A special meeting of Calgary's city council has been called for Wednesday afternoon to discuss the response to the pandemic, along with a confidential personnel matter.
The meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the province's Restrictions Exception Program has been confusing and unclear, and forces municipalities and individual businesses to make up their own mind.
"I'm recalling city council tomorrow to consider a city bylaw to bring clarity to the issue, to get rid of all these loopholes, so every single person knows exactly what they are doing," Nenshi said.
"To say that someone between 12 and 18 can go to hockey practice but can't go out for dinner after hockey practice with the team… that's crazy. So lets just do this correctly and do it right and stop trying to tie ourselves in knots here."
Nenshi said the provincial government "botched" it's rollout of the program.
"So we're hoping to fix the implementation using the city's own abilities to do that."
"We also are announcing tomorrow a city-run vaccination outreach program to really get to people in geographic areas where vaccination is low."
The city returned to a state of local emergency (SOLE) earlier this month in response to rising COVID-19 case numbers and a mask bylaw was put back into effect.
That means masks are required in indoor public spaces and on city transit.
The SOLE will allow city workers to access resources more efficiently and effectively, as well as paving the way to put local health orders in place.
A SOLE was originally declared in November 2020 and lifted in June. Prior to that, a SOLE was in effect from March 2020 to June 2020.
Calgary Recreation has also decided to implement the provincial Restriction Exemption Program, meaning proof of vaccination will have to be shown to access indoor facilities by everyone age 12 and over.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.