Alberta: Municipalities will have to follow regional health restrictions

The required changes are precisely focused About health restrictions related to COVID-19, Rick McIver, Alberta’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, said during the press conference.

The bill states that rules around wearing masks and proof of vaccination will need approval from Alberta’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and the province’s chief medical officer of health.

Municipal authorities will still have the authority to enforce their own regulations in municipal facilities such as recreation centers, public transportation and other places of their own.

According to Rick McIver, this is not a suggestion revolutionary. He states that similar laws already exist, particularly with regard to roads.

He adds that this change will bring contexts for Alberta.

In a statement, Alberta New Democrat Municipal Affairs critic Joe Sissi said the new legislation is a A direct attack on local democracy and the wishes of Albertans. According to him, the government of Jason Kenney is interfering, and he himself blames the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.

For his part, the mayor of Edmonton, Amarjit Sohee, is disappointed with the way the territorial government went to force Edmonton to lift its order requiring the wearing of a mask on its territory.

Mayor Sohee now wishes Open a dialogue with the county and find out how they can strengthen their relationship .

He says the government’s attitude toward our municipality must change. We are a legitimate system of government. We are elected by Edmontonians […] I deserve respect for other levels of government for making decisions in the best interests of Edmonton residents.

According to University of Alberta law professor Eric Adams, challenging this change is possible if cities can base their arguments on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

We are concerned that the Alberta government is setting a worrying precedent by changing it [Loi sur les municipalités] without prior consultationAlberta Municipalities said in a statement.

Alberta’s municipalities are grateful that the provincial government has limited the scope of these legislative changes, but we still believe that the best public health decisions are those that are based on science and data, rather than differences and calculations.Organization adds.

Currently, municipal government law Enabling municipalities to shape their own communities .

Edmonton is the only municipality in the county to retain its mask-wearing regulation after March 1.

On Tuesday afternoon, the city council voted 8 to 5 on an immediate lifting of the obligation to wear a mask in the capital. Wearing a mask is still mandatory on public transport.

City councilors who voted to roll back the mandatory wearing of masks said the reason isn’t because they don’t believe in its benefits, but rather because they think it’s pointless to fight the boycott over the issue.

Many denounced the intimidation and political interference of Jason Kenney’s government.

Minister MacIver indicated earlier today that if Edmonton City Council lifts the mandatory mask law, it will reconsider its bill.

The municipal council also voted to introduce a motion proposing a bylaw on mandatory mask-wearing in public transport and municipal buildings.

Early in the pandemic, Jason Kenney’s government encouraged municipalities to implement their own mask-wearing regulations.

The city of Edmonton imposed its own character in the summer of 2020, before the county did the same.