Mayor's David Gillan and Ames Leslie said there's plenty of discussion ahead for council and municipal staff following the province's announcement regarding COVID-19 restrictions. (File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Wait and see

Local mayors react to provincial decision to lift restrictions

Feb 9, 2022 | 4:00 AM

Following the province’s decision to begin lifting public health mandates related to COVID-19, municipal leaders in the Battlefords region will have a number of items to manage in the coming weeks.

Starting at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, residents will no longer be required by the Government of Saskatchewan to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test in order to enter various businesses and facilities. North Battleford Mayor David Gillan told battlefordsNOW there’s no immediate announcements at this time regarding what the city will do this month in response to the changes and that they continue to follow the province’s direction on public health.

“We as a council will look at the implications for the public,” he said. “Over the next few days, things will get a bit clearer.”

The decision has been met with a mixture of support and criticism from various corners, with union representatives condemning the decision and business organizations praising the move. In a non-scientific poll on battlefordsNOW regarding the Re-Opening Saskatchewan Plan, more than 80 per cent of respondents supported lifting restrictions. Gillan said he wasn’t surprised by the announcement from Premier Scott Moe.

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“I expected it, he has been saying this for two weeks,” he said.

A number of operations will be affected by the decision, given current requirements for workers and council’s approval of COVID-19 restrictions for the public specified city-owned facilities in the fall. Gillan said every issue related to the city will be addressed soon.

“Administration will work on any changes with their people,” he said. “As for the public, council will be discussing this in depth.”

Beyond the matters affecting city operations, Gillan said local business owners will have to make their own decisions on the risks they face, not just regarding health.

“Legal issues, business issues, all kinds of things yet to be determined by private business,” he said.

While Gillan said council will discuss these various issues prior to Monday, he could not confirm if they would have an official meeting this week.

Adjustment period

Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie was also not surprised to see restrictions lifted, after a number of interviews and appearances from the premier indicating as much. However, he expected the changes to come more slowly and not quite as soon.

“I thought the end of the month would’ve been the time to allow municipalities to make decisions.”

Leslie said there are many discussions ahead for council, but few items require immediate action. Unlike North Battleford, the town has no restrictions on top of what the province has mandated.

“Business as normal for us right now, though I imagine there will be calls from businesses in the community to us and to the province for how they go about their own internal vaccine mandates,” Leslie said.

Moving forward, he said he expects to hear plenty of feedback from both sides of the debate over provincial mandates, adding that some residents are likely apprehensive about going back to normal.

“It hasn’t been a full two years with masking and other mandates, but it’s been a good portion of this pandemic where we’ve had some form of restrictions,” Leslie said. “It’s going to take time for people to become accustomed and comfortable again.”

“I just hope it doesn’t create more debate and anger between the two groups on either side of this.”

Federal Conservatives welcome shift

Local MP Rosemarie Falk gave support to the province’s decision. In a statement to battlefordsNOW, she said she welcomed the move to end restrictions, while also criticizing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for not moving in this direction.

“The premier’s announcement and his comments on healing divisions in our country does more to help bring resolve to the ongoing protests than the prime minister’s own actions,” she said.

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW