Burlington mayor and councillor propose temporary mandatory mask bylaw
- Craig Clark
- 08 Jul 2020
Mayor of Burlington Marianne Meed Ward and city councillor Shawna Stolte have jointly sponsored a proposal for a temporary bylaw that would make masks mandatory in all indoor public spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Discussion of the bylaw will take place at the Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk, and Accountability Committee meeting on July 9th with a final vote at council on July 13th.
We have heard from our #BurlON community and together Councillor Shawna Stolte @stolte4ward4 and I are bringing forward a proposed temporary mandatory mask bylaw for @cityburlington.
Please click the link for our full joint release: https://t.co/JsrpNSorNh
— Marianne Meed Ward (@MariannMeedWard) July 7, 2020
The announcement of the proposed bylaw was made in a joint statement by Meed Ward and Stolte that was released yesterday. It stated that there have been inquiries by residents landing on both sides of this hotly debated topic.
“Our offices have received questions from residents asking why to bring this forward now when our infection rates are among the lowest province wide,” read the statement.
“Others have asked why was this not mandated as part of our initial local response to the pandemic. As with so much during COVID-19, our understanding and the information available to us about the virus, as well as the best tools we have to slow its spread, is constantly evolving — and we must be prepared to adapt and respond.”
If Burlington were to make masks mandatory, they would be following a lot of other municipalities including Toronto to enforce a bylaw while COVID-19 is still active within the community.
Meed Ward and Stolte said in the statement that they had only just learned of an individual municipality’s ability to implement such a bylaw and this seems like the best time to require masks as new information emerges about the spread of the virus.
“Our understanding of the need for masks has shifted after learning more about the potential for asymptomatic spread of the virus. We need to look ahead and be ready to use every tool available to us as we prepare for the eventual Stage 3 of the Province’s phased reopening,” says the statement.
“We cannot assume our low infection rates will remain at their current level as more businesses continue to reopen – we cannot be complacent.”
The requirement of masks in indoor public spaces has also been a topic of contention in Hamilton, with Mayor Fred Eisenberger and many community members supporting the idea for a temporary bylaw.
Comments 0
There are no comments
Add comment