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.

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.

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

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.