SASKATOON — Mayor Charlie Clark says the City of Saskatoon couldn't pass a COVID gathering bylaw last week because the provincial government wouldn't support it.
“The City Council [Friday] withdrew the proposed bylaw regarding gathering restrictions after receiving direction earlier this week from the Minister of Government Relations that the government would not support this bylaw,” said Clark in a statement.
“This provincial direction differed from public comments made previously through the media, by both Premier [Scott] Moe and the Minister of Health [Paul Merriman].”
Clark’s reaction comes after the City Council’s decision on defeating a proposed COVID gathering bylaw during their Friday meeting. The City Council tackled the bylaw based on the City’s Medical Health Officers’ request to act in facing the health crisis.
The bylaw would have acted as another health safety measure to help decrease the virus’ spread in the city.
The defeated measure could have also helped ease the strain currently being experienced by hospitals, medical staff, and ICUs.
Moe, last September, said he welcomes municipal governments in the province to implement what’s best based on their specific situation.
“We feel quite confident that as we move through the next number of weeks and months that individuals, that organizations such as municipalities, school divisions can continue to rely on public health for advice ... and then make the decisions that are best suited to their specific area of the province given the COVID rates that may be present, vaccination rates that they may have, added Moe."
"If the municipalities want to be able to add on top of that they have that ability to do that,” said Health Minister Merriman in a separate interview last month.
Clark said as city mayor, along with the council, they will do what’s best to support the health care system to protect the residents and their livelihoods.
“This is what we were attempting to explore [last Friday], and we have reached the limit in what we are permitted to do. I am disappointed by the Province’s decision not to act and to limit our ability to act.”
“I am concerned about the potential for this to prolong the impacts that we are seeing on the health care needs of all of our citizens, on the capacity of exhausted health care workers, on our ability to get to a more robust economic recovery, and on our reputation as a province.”
He added that they are just acting on the advice given by City Medical Health Officers.
“While cases may be going down, the modelling and the clear advice from [health officers] is that we risk stretching this crisis out over many more months without more decisive action. It is this situation that we tried to avoid.”
“And that is why I supported and continue to support a targeted 28-day set of measures that will help stabilize this crisis. I will continue to engage with the Provincial Government on these issues and on finding coordinated approaches to help get COVID under control, increase vaccination rates, and enable our society to function more normally."
The current public order implemented in the city’s facilities remain like having proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test within 72 hours for those who are 12 years old and over and requiring masks be worn in all indoor public spaces and indoor arenas.
