COCHRANE— Cochrane council voted to maintain the Town's mandatory face-covering bylaw until at least May 1 at a special meeting Monday (Feb 1).
Mayor Jeff Genung said while he appreciated the province has stepped in and mandated masks, there is still a need for the bylaw at the municipal level. Council was required to renew the bylaw as a sunset clause was built into the original document causing it to expire on Monday evening if no renewal took place.
"Our extension of a date is really null and void at this point, either then, I do like the safety net, if you will, of having our own bylaw in effect in case there is something that is askew in our region," Genung said. "That is certainly why we looked at this, in my opinion, in the first place."
The bylaw was originally approved on July 29, 2020 with a sunset clause of Feb. 1, 2021 at a special Cochrane Council meeting. The amended bylaw now expires on May 1.
The bylaw allows for increased flexibility in the Town's reaction to COVID-19 without transforming the daily lives of Cochranites, Genung said. He added, the final outcome of the pandemic remains unclear and there is a need to ensure the Town can be flexible in actions taken to control the effects of the virus.
Council will have the opportunity to weigh in or make changes to the bylaw if there is a need prior to its expiry on May 1. Council will target debating the bylaw again at the first regular meeting in April before it expires.
Mayor Genung and councillors Susan Flowers, Alex Reed, Tara McFadden and Marni Fedeyko were in favour of keeping the bylaw in place with a new expiry date. Councillors Morgan Nagel and Patrick Wilson opposed the bylaw, but agreed to an extended sunset clause.
Nagel remained against the bylaw raising concerns council needs to make sure it will not be permanent in Cochrane.
He questioned why the bylaw was being renewed while a provincial mandate requiring masks in public places is in place.
"When it did get passed in the summer one of the major justifications for the municipal governments in Alberta and all across Canada to pass these types of bylaws was that the province and federal government weren't stepping in," Nagel said. "The province has stepped in. Dr. Deena Hinshaw and Premier Jason Kenney have taken very deliberate action on the mask stuff. I think we should ... Leave it to the experts— We shouldn't try to act as a health care authority in the municipal government."
Fedeyko said she agreed with Nagel that provisions are in place in the province, but asked for a revision so a conversation take place if the provincial measures are removed.
"Right now I'm comfortable with where things are at and leaving it in the province's hands. But, if we maybe end up in a different spot that's a conversation we need to have again," she said.
After speaking with the general public and hearing concerns, anxieties and frustrations, Fedeyko said, and setting a sunset clause of May 1 could help as a way to alleviate these feelings.
The face-covering bylaw is enacted when then Town reaches 10 active COVID-19 cases. If this event occurs the Director of Emergency Management Stacey Loe will have the authority to immediately implement the wearing of face-coverings in all public places.
If Cochrane reports 10 cases or below for 14 consecutive days, the bylaw will be deactivated.
The bylaw will apply to all indoor public places, including businesses the public has access to. The bylaw does not include premises with enrollment or membership requirements.
Children under the age of five, those with underlying medical conditions or disabilities, those unable to safely place or remove a mask without assistance, those eating or drinking in public spaces, and those participating in fitness activities will be exempt from the bylaw. The temporary removal of a mask when necessary to provide or receive services will also be allowed.
People who are exempted from wearing a face-covering will not be asked to present proof and can instead declare they fall into one of the exempted categories.
"We put a lot of thought into it and I thought we made a good decision," Flowers said. "I would like to see it stay on the books."
