Lethbridge city council extends mask bylaw despite provincial law still being in place

Lethbridge city council has extended its local mask bylaw until the end of April.

Those supporting the motion, brought forward Tuesday, argued that with Lethbridge’s rates of COVID-19 still high, every measure should be taken to reduce the spread.

It reversed a recommendation by council committee to revoke the measure, arguing it was redundant considering a current provincial mask order is similar and takes legal precedent.

That motion was defeated 5-4, and a new motion to revisit the issue again on April 30 passed by the same margin.

Last week in Medicine Hat, Mayor Ted Clugston said after discussions with his council, the local mask bylaw would be allowed to expire on March 4.

At that point the provincial requirements to wear face coverings in all indoor public places, including businesses, taxis and buses, will still be in place.

It was brought in by Alberta Health the week after Hat councillors voted 6-3 in favour of a local face-covering bylaw on Dec. 2.

Clugston argued the provincial and municipal orders amounted to the same thing, and that the province should take the lead on matters of public health.

The decision in Lethbridge this week came after vigorous debate in which Mayor Chris Spearman said it was a “disgrace” that the province didn’t act to mandate masks sooner last fall as cases rose quickly.

Lethbridge councillor Ryan Parker, who brought forward the original committee motion, said the province’s advice should be heeded.

“The common theme was we follow Alberta Health,” he told the Lethbridge Herald. “Some people have painted us with the brush that we are the anti-maskers, and that is not factual at all.”

Deputy Mayor Rob Miyashiro led support for keeping a local rule in place.

“Our numbers (in Lethbridge) are increasing,” he stated. “When we put our first facial covering bylaw in place (last summer) we had zero (cases) ... and now we have 200 (cases). If we don’t keep doing all the steps we need to do to try to reduce the risk of spreading this virus, it is going to get worse.”