Defying province, Saskatoon city council takes step towards gathering limit bylaw
Saskatoon City Council has instructed the city solicitor’s office to develop a gathering restrictions bylaw to fight COVID-19.
“I absolutely do not want to have to be in this situation right now,” Mayor Charlie Clark said.
“It's an extraordinary situation, where our city council is having health officers coming forth and laying out how urgent the situation is, identifying a mechanism that has been identified through all of their modeling and planning, which is restricting private gatherings which can help mitigate the very, very urgent situation that we're seeing in our healthcare system.”
He said a city bylaw is “worth trying” even though it’s an “imperfect solution.”
The bylaw would still need council approval.
Earlier this month, the province rejected the city’s request for local gathering restrictions, prompting the Governance and Priorities Committee to investigate the city’s authority to go it alone.
In her report to council on Monday, solicitor Cindy Yelland recommended any COVID-19 bylaw drafted by the City of Saskatoon should focus on private gatherings in private residences, private events at public venues and places of worship.
However, she said that while the city has wide bylaw-making powers, the province is the level of government responsible for public health - not the city.
In her report, Yelland cited modelling provided to the city that shows “limitations on gathering size are arguably the single most important and actionable lever for lowering the spread of COVID-19 in our province.
“The scientific modelling from the (University of Saskatchewan Computational Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics Laboratory) and the local Medical Health Officer agree that if Saskatoon gathering restrictions had been implemented at the beginning of October or earlier, when Saskatoon was trending upwards, there would have been a more meaningful impact on lowering the transmission of COVID-19 in Saskatoon, but implementation still has value as it will drive down transmission faster in the community.”
Councillors Randy Donauer, Darren Hill and Troy Davies opposed the motion to draft the bylaw, with Donauer saying such guidelines are the province’s responsibility and the city has no authority.
Early in the pandemic, the City of Regina uncsuccesfully tried to introduce municipal public health measures.
At the meeting, Saskatoon’s medical health officer, Dr. Jasmine Hasselback, recommended measures similar to Step One in the province’s reopening strategy.
Her recommendations would be in effect for 28 days and would include:
PRIVATE GATHERINGS
- The unvaccinated and partially vaccinated should not gather beyond their own household
- Vaccinated households can gather indoors with up to one other household, including children under 12 who are not yet eligible for vaccination.
VENUES
- Venues for events such as weddings and funerals should reduce to 25 per cent capacity, with no indoor dining if they are only requiring mandatory masks, but not proof of vaccination. If they require proof of vaccination, those restrictions would not apply.
PLACES OF WORSHIP
- Places that don’t require proof of vaccination should still require mask wearing and reduce in-person attendance to 25 per cent capacity of 150 people, whichever is less.
- She said she had also made the recommendations in a written submission to the Minister of Health on Friday.
In a statement to CTV News, Ministry of Health spokesperson Jennifer Graham said the City of Saskatoon can create policies that extend to public facilities within their jurisdiction.
"Any bylaw created by a municipality with respect to matters affecting public health need to be reviewed and approved by the Minister of Health pursuant to The Public Health Act, 1994. The Public Health Orders are based on recommendations from the Chief Medical Health Officer.
"These public health measures are helping to address the spread of COVID-19 in Saskatoon and across the province."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Senators reject field trip to African Lion Safari amid elephant bill study
The Senate legal affairs committee has rejected a motion calling for members to take a $50,000 field trip to the African Lion Safari in southern Ontario to see the zoo's elephant exhibit.
CFIA monitoring for avian flu in Canadian dairy cattle after U.S. discoveries
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is encouraging veterinarians to keep an eye out for signs of avian influenza in dairy cattle following recent discoveries of cases of the disease in U.S. cow herds.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
Vancouver firefighter in rehab at home after losing leg to flesh-eating infection overseas
A family trip took a frightening turn for Christopher Won when he was diagnosed with flesh-eating disease while in Hong Kong and now, after weeks of treatment overseas, the Vancouver firefighter is back home recovering.