The RCMP and Alberta Health Services were contacted following a large gathering at a local restaurant in southern Alberta over the weekend.
The Firehouse Bar and Grill in Langdon, Alta., held an anniversary party in its parking lot Saturday afternoon, but the owners said that they had all proper permits in place and followed AHS protocol.
Owners Aleesha Gosling and Greg Thompson said that they kept to the limit set out by the province of a maximum of 200 people and the event never actually reached capacity.
Gosling said that the party was in full compliance with COVID-19 guidelines set out by Alberta Health Services.
“We went through Rocky View (County), Alberta Liquor and Gaming, and Alberta Health to get this event approved,” explained Gosling. “We were under capacity the entire event, we were at 184, capacity is 200.”
Thompson explained that the goal was to have a celebration for the community and that the business went above and beyond to ensure the safety of guests.
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“You have to be responsible when you assume a role of doing something like this,” Thompson said. “And you can remind people so much to make proper choices and such forth, but we’re not the police. “
One resident complained to Global News and wanted to remain anonymous, saying when they passed the establishment there were large crowds, not physically distanced, for hours on end.
The owners said RCMP visited the party at its peak and that the officer that attended did not take issue with any of the physical distancing protocols in place.
The RCMP confirmed that officers were made aware of the event but that there weren’t any issues when officers attended the scene.
AHS said it had not received any formal complaint about the party at Firehouse Bar and Grill but that it was continuing to work with the business regarding guidelines.
The province of Ontario announced last week that it was once again limiting the number of people allowed to gather in large crowds in certain regions following a rise in COVID-19 cases.
Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said Monday that Alberta was not planning on following suit but that it was monitoring the situation in Alberta closely.
“At this time, we are not doing that in Alberta,” said Hinshaw. “What we’re doing is watching to see where we see patterns of transmission.”
Hinshaw said Albertans should continue to physically distance where possible in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus and ensure that the economy can remain open.
Langdon is located about 30 minutes east of Calgary.
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