COCHRANE— Cochrane’s mandatory face coverings bylaw was once again a topic of debate at the Cochrane Council meeting on Monday (Sept. 28).
Resident Katrina Kitchen appeared as a delegation to present an online petition calling for a public meeting on the Town of Cochrane's Face Covering Bylaw 20/2020.
The bylaw states that if Cochrane experiences 10 active cases of COVID-19 face coverings will become mandatory in indoor public spaces.
During Kitchen's presentation Councillor Susan Flowers noted council received 100’s of emails both for and against the bylaw before voting on its creation.
“There were a lot more stronger arguments to put the bylaw in place then there was to not put it in place,” Flowers said.
While Kitchen said she does not agree with the bylaw, she hoped to see a public meeting take place where people could have an educational discussion about the benefits and harms of wearing masks.
The petition, which garnered 497 signatures, states, “Mandating the citizens of Cochrane wear face coverings without following the democratic process and allowing said citizens to voice their concerns sets the precedent that the council can pass bylaws that directly affect citizens without consulting them. Cochrane’s city council exists to serve and represent the citizens of Cochrane, not to pass bylaws without demonstrably justifying to the public that these bylaws are needed.”
These rights need to be respected, Kitchen said, adding she questioned the evidence council used to justify the creation of the bylaw calling it a “knee-jerk reaction” to a similar bylaw created in Calgary.
“Compelling citizens to wear masks violates our bodily autonomy and our right to informed consent,” Kitchen said. “If council believes that they can and should be able to compel citizens by law to wear a mask that they do not consent to wearing what will council do if or when a COVID vaccine becomes available? When does the dictatorial ability of council end and personal choice and freedom begin?”
Coun. Patrick Wilson said he was one of the people who signed the petition and praised Kitchen for coming before council with her contributions.
Wilson noted that he chose to sign the petition because he still believes Cochrane Council “missed the mark on the process.” The decision to sign was not one made out of “sour grapes,” he said, but was instead in reaction to how the bylaw was passed.
Passing a bylaw in one special meeting was inappropriate, Wilson said, because it did not allow the public to truly weigh in on its creation.
The bylaw could come back for reconsideration if a motion and vote was held to rescind both second and third readings. Councillors who voted against the bylaw would not be able to make this motion, meaning councillors Wilson and Morgan Nagel would be unable to take this action.
The petition was reviewed by town administration and it was confirmed it does not meet the formal requirements of the Municipal Government Act. To meet these requirements 10 per cent of the population of Cochrane would need to sign the petition with a witness in-person. Kitchens petition captured approximately one per cent of the Cochrane community population.
Flowers said she was disappointed with the list of people who signed the petition, as more than 120 were from outside the Cochrane community.
“I was really disappointed that it was so one-sided and it wasn’t really about more input— It was more about not liking our decision,” Flowers said.
Coun. Nagel commended Kitchen for coming forward to share her information and fight for civil liberties.
“I know taking this stance has probably been very tough for you as you have probably faced a lot of backlash,” Nagel said. “I really appreciate you having the courage to come here and do this.”
Mayor Jeff Genung said it is not surprising to see mandatory masks are still a topic of conversation in Cochrane.
Genung said he understands why people are concerned about masks and resistant to being told to wear them, however, the bylaw comes down to council’s responsibility to protect the community.
“I’m pretty happy with where we’ve landed. We’ve found a balance between mandating masks and leaving it up to the individual,” Genung said. “Keeping our cases below 10 is the responsibility of every person in Cochrane.”
The decision to create the bylaw was not an easy one to make for council, Genung said, explaining that they looked to information provided by Alberta Health Services and actions taken by other Alberta municipalities when researching the bylaw.
“That’s the hard part about this— You can find science for both sides of this equation,” Genung said.
He encouraged residents to continue following COVID-19 public health recommendations to ensure case numbers remain low in Cochrane.
Genung added his decision to vote in favour of the bylaw was largely motivated by the economy and ensuring all steps are taken to keep it open.
“We cannot afford to step backwards,” Genung said. “This is not something that there’s a road map for. This is something that hasn’t happened in our society for over 100 years— We’re doing the best we can and making the decision the best way we know how to keep most people safe.”
The Town of Cochrane had three active cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday (Sept. 30) morning.
