BONNYVILLE – Masks won’t be mandatory in the Town of Bonnyville, but residents are strongly encouraged to wear them when social distancing isn’t possible.
Council opted against taking the steps to put a mandatory mask bylaw in place during a special meeting on Monday, Nov. 30, and instead passed a motion to continue to follow the recommendations from Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and to encourage businesses to follow in the municipality’s footsteps by asking patrons to wear masks when in their buildings.
According to CAO Bill Rogers, anyone entering a local business refusing to wear a face-covering could face legal charges.
“Businesses do currently have the power to ask all patrons to wear masks and charge those who refuse with trespassing,” he noted.
Coun. Ray Prevost believes the business community ‘"has a better handle on it than we do" when it comes to masks.
“They can put a sign on their window and enforce a mask bylaw and if you refuse to wear one, they can call the authorities and charge with your trespassing just as well as the Town of Bonnyville.”
Coun. Elisa Brosseau agreed, “I think we’ve been doing a good job when social distancing isn’t possible, for example at the C2. They’re required mandatory masks and I think that’s a good thing and the same with businesses. Where social distancing isn’t possible, having people wear masks.”
The topic was brought up after residents reached out to council asking them to follow other municipalities across the province that have put mandatory mask bylaws in place.
One issue discussed was how the town would enforce the bylaw as they currently only have one peace officer.
“I don’t know whether or not we’ll actually be able to undertake a mandatory mask (bylaw),” detailed Mayor Gene Sobolewski. “Enforcing is going to be a bit of a nightmare and if enforcement is anything like it was during the COVID-19 days in March and April, without the assistance of the RCMP, I think it would be virtually impossible.”
As situations could arise, it could take the peace officer away from other duties if a bylaw was put into place. Coun. Chad Colbourne noted it could get them "into a very sticky situation."
“You’re going to run into a scenario where downtown someone’s not wearing a mask and you’re going to have to phone the bylaw officer and the bylaw officer is going to have to leave from doing something that he’s already doing to come down, and then we’re going to have the RCMP involved,” Colbourne said. “It’s already kind of happened through the course of the weekend where the enforcement of the indoor gatherings. I know that’s been an issue already and if you tack on masks to all of that, where are we going to be?”
Council agreed they had no "appetite" for a mandatory mask bylaw at this time, but they can look at the option down the road if cases continue to increase, and if Alberta Health makes any other recommendations on the matter.
