Regional mask debate returning to council
Motion to include common areas in apartments and condos
The debate over Niagara’s mandatory mask bylaw to limit the spread of COVID-19 isn’t over just yet, with a new amendment scheduled to come before regional council Thursday night.
Niagara Falls Coun. Peter Nicholson has put forward a motion that would see the Region follow in the footsteps of St. Catharines and require masks be worn in the common areas of all apartment buildings and condominiums in Niagara.
Bylaws requiring masks in public indoor spaces, including restaurants and other businesses, were superseded by an Ontario-wide mask order issued by the provincial government. While largely the same as the regional bylaw, the Ontario law tightens some exemptions. For instance, the provincial order requires masks for children aged two years and older, while the local bylaw required them for kids aged five and up.
Although the provincial order supersedes local bylaws, there is nothing to prevent municipalities from making additions to its own regulations that go further.
Last week, St. Catharines city council voted to include common areas in apartments and condos — including elevators and lobbies — in its bylaw.
Later in the week, during another regional council debate over the Niagara bylaw — it featured a failed attempt by St. Catharines Coun. Tim Rigby to require the public health department to produce a mask report each month — Nicholson said he would bring forward a motion that it, too, address multi-unit buildings.
The original bylaw debate in July and the amendment passed in September that extended it to April 2021 saw several citizens who are part of a local anti-mask group make presentations to council.
Members of Hugs Over Masks — it holds regular, small protests across the region each week — falsely claim masks are harmful to people, don’t prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and is a form of child abuse.
There are no delegations on Thursday’s agenda. The deadline to get on the speaker’s list was Friday. Residents can still request to be allowed to speak to councillors about any agenda item. However, if they missed the deadline, they can only address council with the consent of councillors present at the meeting.
During last week’s debate on Rigby’s motion at the public health committee meeting, several members of the anti-mask group requested to speak, but were voted down.
Councillors, most prominently Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati, have asked if they can proceed with mask bylaw issues without having to hear public delegations. The regional clerk informed him the public has the right to speak to any issue on a council agenda.
Most regional councillors have voted in favour of the bylaw and its extension, with only a few exceptions.
West Lincoln Mayor David Byslma rejected the need for masks, saying he believed they are ineffective “because they didn’t change anything” as cases had recently risen.
However, public health experts have touted masks as an important measure to limit the spread of the virus and noted several clusters of cases have been connected to people attending gatherings without wearing masks and who did not practise physical distancing.
Welland Coun. Leanna Villella also opposed the bylaw extension and echoed the beliefs of the anti-mask group when she claimed without evidence that masks would “kill the spirit of people.”