With COVID-19 rising, cities wait for provincial measures to just spread

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COVID-19 is on the rise in Alberta, with more record days for new cases in the past week alone.

Provinces including BC and Ontario introduced tighter restrictions this week due to their growing numbers, and while some are calling for Alberta to follow suit, the province didn’t announce any new rules on Friday.

Over the summer, with a recommendation but without a firm mandate from the province, the city councils of Calgary and Edmonton both created statutes requiring masks in publicly accessible indoor spaces. Other municipalities have done the same, but Alberta is now the only province without a broader provincial mask mandate.

But as Alberta’s two largest cities continue to be hot spots for the novel coronavirus, the powers they have to intervene are limited and they are ultimately left to wait for the province to make decisions.

Local state of emergency

Cities can access additional powers by declaring a local state of emergency, which is used in the event of a disaster such as a major flood, fire or pandemic. If necessary, two members of the council, usually the mayor and the councilor who chairs the emergency management committee, sign the declaration.

The city declared a local state of emergency in response to COVID on March 15 and it lasted for nearly three months, by far the longest in Calgary’s history.

A local state of emergency essentially helps the city respond more quickly to a threat. The head of the Calgary emergency management agency has the power to issue orders that can be put into action immediately, rather than having to wait for the city council to discuss, vote and decide on direction. Work at the Calgary Emergency Operations Center also increases to make sure city services work together.

Tom Sampson, head of the emergency management agency, issued several orders during the first wave of the pandemic, including the closure of libraries and city recreation centers and a demand that all international travelers who end their Calgary trip adopt “all reasonable measures “for two weeks.