The Town of Okotoks passed not one, but two mask bylaws at their meeting Monday, August 17.

The first, Bylaw would see masks made mandatory in all indoor municipal spaces, and the second, would see masks made mandatory in all indoor public spaces if active cases of COVID-19 within the Town of Okotoks reach 15.

Council debated the bylaws at their previous meeting on July 27th, which, after being amended to only apply to municipal spaces, failed to garner the unanimous vote required to reach third reading.

The second bylaw was drafted at the request of Council at their previous meeting and was ready for all three readings.

Both bylaws were approved, though not withoutsome thought from council members.

The bylaw concerning municipal buildings was passed as presented and will go into effect on Monday, August 24.

It will apply to indoor municipal facilities, including the Pason Arenas, Eco Centre, The Town's transit service, and the Municipal Centre.

A few exemptions are highlighted in the bylaw, including children under two years of age, persons with a medical condition that inhibits their ability to safely wear a mask, as well as those separated by a physical barrier.

The Town says education rather than enforcement will be emphasized.

The second bylaw, concerning mandatory masks in all indoor public spaces, went through some debate before being passed.

Councillor Matt Rockley was vehemently opposed to the bylaw in its current form, wanting instead a mandatory mask bylaw that did not include a threshold or trigger.

Others described the bylaw as a compromise, where masks would be strongly recommended, though the onus would be on residents to keep numbers low if they don't want the mandatory mask bylaw to be enacted.

As was the case in the last meeting, Councillor Rockley requested a recorded vote, with his being the only vote of opposition during the third and final reading.

If enacted, the bylaw would be enforced until Okotoks' number of active cases fell below 15 for 30 consecutive days.

To view the council meeting agenda, click here.

 

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