Mask bylaw up for debate at emergency meeting

CALGARY – It is the debate that impacts everyone inside the City of Calgary–the mask mandate argument is back at city hall Friday.

Several members of city council have been calling for this emergency meeting for a number of weeks.

Rising COVID-19 case counts have spurred that discussion, something a pair of councillors and mayoral candidates are addressing.

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“I have an open mind for the discussion but often maintain that city councillors are not doctors. We’re not best positioned to make votes on issues like this really appropriate for us to step into areas outside of our jurisdiction,” said Jeromy Farkas.

“We just don’t have the same access to the same expertise as well as data that the chief medical officer of health does.”

Farkas says the debate, in his eyes, is more about the city “staying in its lane” than it is about being for or against masking.

Thank you, @gccarra – we are finally booked to discuss the pandemic response at a municipal level. Tune in on Friday at 1 pm, folks. #yyccc https://t.co/WcaOtF7EKf

— Jyoti Gondek (@JyotiGondek) August 31, 2021

Jyoti Gondek argues council has been left with no other choice but to look to reinstate masking mandates.

“Public health is provincial jurisdiction and they are simply not doing anything they’ve checked out,” Gondek said.

“And now they’ve dumped it on school boards and municipalities and businesses and independent organizations to make our own decisions.”

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She says mandates like the masking bylaw won’t be able to please everyone, but there seems to be a lot of vocal support for the bylaw to be reintroduced.

“Overwhelmingly, we are getting messages in our inboxes every two to five minutes saying, ‘Please return the masked mandate.'”

Calgary repealed its masking bylaw in early July but has kept it in place for city-owned facilities.

Edmonton and some other municipalities and provinces have brought them back in recent weeks.

Councillors are expected to meet at 1 p.m.