Barrhead councillors say no to mandatory mask bylaw

BARRHEAD-If a person chooses to wear a mask inside a Town of Barrhead business, it will be up to the individual or the business and not the municipality.
That was the decision Town of Barrhead councillors made during their Aug. 11 meeting when they passed a discussion about the potential of bringing in a mask bylaw for information.

Mayor Dave McKenzie asked for the topic to be included on the agenda after he received multiple calls from people in the health field asking whether or not the municipality was considering such a bylaw.

"I don't want to see us enact a bylaw making masks mandatory," he said, adding the bylaw would be difficult to police. "As responsible adults, it should be up to the individual."

McKenzie added he also has discussions with other mayors in the region (he didn't specify which) and they all said their preference was to leave the choice whether to wear a face-covering up to the individual.

A day earlier, Town of Westlock councillors unanimously rejected a mandatory mask bylaw.

Coun. Don Smith agreed with the mayor.

"If we are in a situation where we can't social distance perhaps we might want to wear a mask, but if you don't, it should be your choice and up to your level of comfort," he said. "If [Alberta Health Services] says something perhaps we should revisit the idea as we have been following their guidelines all along. If they tell us to mandate it then absolutely we should."

Coun. Rod Klumph, who was wearing a mask for the first time at a council meeting, to test it out, said while it was a little uncomfortable as well as inconvenient noting it fogged up his glasses, it was more than doable.

"Wearing a mask is to help protect other people, not for yourself," he said, adding he often wears a mask when he goes shopping.

Klumph added his wife is a nurse for Alberta Health Services (AHS) and they are asking their employees to wear masks while out in public to lead by example.
Alberta chief's medical officer Dr Deena Hinshaw has gone on record multiple times stating wearing a mask is an effective tool against the spread of the coronavirus and encourages Albertans to wear masks when out in public.

"But recommending is different than mandating and I'm not so sure it is something we should be doing in Barrhead yet," he said. "If COVID was in the community and new cases were reported, I'm sure we would feel different, but right now I think it should be a matter of personal choice."
Coun. Ty Assaf was also opposed to mandating mask use.

He said the fact the community has only had two reported cases of the virus is testament to resident's efforts to follow AHS guidelines.
Assaf added at his workplace (Stephani Motors) he has not seen one staff member decide to wear a mask.

"All the other precautions are there, the distancing, the barriers, the disinfecting and if people are adhering to that and cases are not showing up in our community, as they say 'why fix something that isn't broken?;" he said.

Coun. Leslie Penny, a retired nurse, agreed with her colleagues, noting she keeps a couple of masks on hand for those times when she can't maintain physical distancing but in most situations goes without.

"If we were in a situation where we had even one case, then we might need to have this discussion again or when the kids go back to school," she said.

Edmonton and St. Albert have passed bylaws requiring residents to don face coverings while frequenting indoor public facilities, businesses as well as on public transit. Calgary passed a similar bylaw making it mandatory that people wear masks in all public spaces, including transit, taxis and ride-sharing services such as Uber unless they are separated by an installed screen, shield or other barriers. Lethbridge is currently debating whether they should enact a mandatory mask bylaw and a decision is expected at their Aug. 24 meeting.

Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com

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