Calgary city council is going to take another look at the city’s mask bylaw at an upcoming meeting.
“The provincial mandates are not necessarily what’s right for Calgary or for parts of Calgary, so we’re continuing to reach out to our own experts at the University of Calgary and others to get the best advice on this,” Mayor Naheed Nenshi said Thursday.
Currently, the city’s mask bylaw is set to expire on Dec. 31, but could be repealed sooner than that with council’s approval.
On Wednesday, Premier Jason Kenney was asked about pressure the provincial government may put on cities who have their own mask mandates when Alberta’s is lifted during Stage 3 of reopening.
Kenney said the province had been working with municipalities throughout the pandemic and hopes that working relationship continues.
“I would hope that they, that municipal and other authorities across the province, would take very seriously the expert advice of the chief medical officer and the Alberta public health experts,” Kenney said.
READ MORE: COVID-19: Kenney outlines Alberta’s reopening plan for summer
Nenshi said council will discuss “a path forward” on June 21.
“Currently, my sense is that we probably want to put in a trigger that has to do with the number of people who have second doses, not just first doses,” the mayor said.
“But I want to get some better evidence on that and some better science on that before making a proposal to council.”
On May 31, council raised fines for the mask bylaw to $500 from the previous $100.
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