WEYBURN - Comments and questions ranging from the City of Weyburn’s new COVID policies to recycling and the need for audible signals were raised with Mayor Marcel Roy, after he spoke to the Weyburn Rotary Club via Zoom on Thursday.
Rotarian Pat May asked why there are exceptions to the COVID policy, allowing spectators to be able to go in to watch games without the proof of vaccines.
The new policy, which goes into effect on Monday, Nov. 8, requires residents to have a proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test for most every facility in the city, with some exceptions, such as for spectators of sports.
“I’m just wondering why that got left out,” she asked.
“That’s what the provincial standards are, for hockey games or any minor sports, as opposed to things that are gate-paying or anything that collects GST, like the Red Wings games,” replied the mayor. “We are following provincial standards, because there are a couple of cities, Saskatoon and Prince Albert, that are going over and above everything else.”
He said these two cities were told by the province “in no uncertain terms” that the level of restrictions should be left up to the province to set.
Asked if the City could make additional rules than what the province’s standards are, Mayor Roy said they could, but “it becomes more and more of regulating, and who’s going to do the regulating in these difficult times? These are difficult times as it is.”
He added that the numbers for COVID cases are going down, but the province indicated if there arises a need for more regulations, they will go in.
“Dr. Shahab had talked about more of these things possibly coming forward. We’ll wait and see what the government does,” said the mayor.
On the question of what requirements there are for City employees, Mayor Roy said the main requirement is for employees to be vaccinated, or to get a negative COVID test every 72 hours. He noted businesses have the option to make this a requirement.
The mayor also pointed out that the city police requires officers to either be vaccinated, or to have a negative COVID test at the start of a shift, and then it’s good for the next five shifts.
Rotary member Duane Schultz asked if the City could put in audible signals downtown to help people like himself who are visually impaired, noting that other cities he’s been in have them installed, such as in Regina.
He related an incident when he was walking downtown, and at the intersection of Souris Avenue and Second Street, he walked diagonally instead of straight west because he became disoriented.
“It was a dangerous thing for me to do. In Montreal and in Regina, every city other than Weyburn that I’ve been in, there are audible signals at the crosswalks. I know we’re capable of doing that here,” he asked.
Mayor Roy asked him to email that request to him and copy it to the city manager, Mathew Warren, and to city engineer Jennifer Wilkinson.
Rotary member Gary Anderson noted the City had indicated a few years ago they were planning to put in left-turn signals and asked if this will still be done. He told about one day trying to turn left from First Avenue onto Government Road when school got out, and it took him five changes of lights before he was able to go through the intersection.
“I’ll bring that up with Jennifer,” said the mayor, pointing out that the areas near Legacy Park or the Weyburn Comprehensive schools should be avoided when it’s time for the schools to be let out.
“This becomes a problem in a lot of cities,” he said. “Weyburn was designed for more like a 6,000 to 8,000 population.”
Asked by club president Doug Loden how the recycling program is going, the mayor said there are a lot of times that a load of recycling has to be taken to the landfill because it’s been contaminated, noting at times it’s as high as 40 per cent of loads.
The contamination comes from things like broken glass or greasy pizza boxes, and the contamination gets spread throughout a whole load.
“We’re going to do a campaign, the environmental committee, and we need to get these (information) brochures out,” said the mayor.
