City repeals mask bylaw effective July 1

By Herald on June 29, 2021.

Councillor Blaine Hyggen, alongside Councillor Ryan Parker, displays a chart “prop” to show vaccine effectiveness in the region Tuesday at city hall before council repealed the Temporary Mandatory Face Covering Bylaw. Herald photo by Tim Kalinowski

Tim Kalinowski – Lethbridge Herald

After an emotionally charged session which had a little bit of everything in terms of political drama, city council has repealed its local Temporary Mandatory Face Covering Bylaw as of July 1.

The issue pretty much dominated the entirety of Tuesday’s meeting, which started with a small group of anti-masking and anti-vaccine protestors outside city hall, featured impassioned speeches on the issue, included procedural challenges on the use of props by councillors, and elicited non-committal responses from local public health officials on the value of the local masking bylaw. 

All culminating in the decision to unanimously pass first, second and third readings of the repealing bylaw in one meeting.

Council kicked off its deliberations on the masking bylaw with a presentation from Dr. Mila Luchak, a medical officer of health from the South Zone of Alberta Health Services.

Councillors repeatedly attempted to gain some definitive answer as to whether AHS would endorse the removal of the bylaw or not. Luchak repeatedly told councillors that masks were an important tool in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic alongside other things like social distancing and good hand hygiene, but vaccination rates were more important at this time in Alberta Health Service’s considerations. She admitted under questioning from Coun. Belinda Crowson that medical opinion is not settled on what would be considered the most ideal levels to reach population immunity from COVID-19, but she confirmed in the City of Lethbridge over 50 per cent of eligible people have gotten their second dose of vaccine and about 80 per cent of seniors in particular.

“There is not a lot of great data so far,” she responded to Crowson, “but studies are currently in the works to determine what is that population immunity or vaccine immunity number that needs to be achieved in order to protect a lot of our vulnerable population. That data is something that has been looked into globally and continues to be.”

Local respiratory specialist and critical care doctor Dr. Eric Wilde, who has worked with local COVID patients in the ICU at Chinook Regional Hospital for much of the last year, co-signed and submitted a letter with other critical care specialists Dr. P.L. Oviatt, Dr. Josh Henkelman, and Dr. Kurt L. Olson supporting the repeal of the masking bylaw.

Under questioning from councillors, Wilde and Oviatt were presented with an oversized blowup of a chart made by Coun. Blaine Hyggen showing the relationship between the high rate of vaccination in Alberta and the dramatic reduction of instances of COVID patients in ICU in the past few months to illustrate the points in the doctors’ letter. Hyggen was challenged on this use of a “prop” by Coun. Rob Miyashiro, but Miyashiro was informed by the City Clerk city council has never created a procedure around the use of such props in public meetings.

Wilde told councillors given how few cases he is dealing with in the local ICU these days, (only one since June 21 for an individual with severe immunity challenges), he had confidence in the provincial epidemiologists’ analysis of the situation, who felt it was fine to remove the provincial masking order at this time. Vaccination, in effect, is working as hoped to reduce severe cases of the disease, he suggested.

“I think the province is being very cautious with it,” Wilde said, “and I think we should be more united with the way we approach this instead of having little pockets of resistance here and there throughout the province. I think AHS is erring on the side of caution so there didn’t seem a lot of reason to me why we (in Lethbridge) wouldn’t be following the provincial mandate.

“I am not anti-mask,” Wilde emphasized to reporters later. “I think they have served us well. But it is so fortunate we were able to get incredible vaccines that have helped us get through this moment.”

A key turning point in the debate was an impassioned speech from Coun. Jeffrey Coffman. Coffman said he would support a repeal of the masking bylaw for the sake of the greater unity of the community, but asked that all sides be kind to one another whatever side of the debate they might be on.

“What I would ask is you take the time to care for each other,” said Coffman, addressing the citizens of Lethbridge directly in his remarks. “Because this anger is driving us in different directions. If you don’t like a mask; that’s fine. Go forth. Celebrate. But if you see somebody with a mask be respectful. In fact, probably just open a door for them. Don’t say anything at all. Smile, because we can see your smile. Be polite.

“Just acknowledge that as much as you have the freedom to not wear masks, somebody who chooses to wear a mask or has to wear a mask because they are compromised, they have comorbidities, they are going through chemo treatment, just acknowledge they have that choice as well,” he added. “And if you choose to wear a mask, at the same time don’t belittle the people who choose not to.”

Coun. Ryan Parker co-sponsored the motion with Coun. Blaine Hyggen. He thanked his colleagues for their unanimous support of the repealing bylaw.

“I think it is important we got this done before July 1 came around,” he said. “I was scared this would have to occur on July 13. This (decision) creates no angst, no confusion throughout our whole city, and it gives people an opportunity to move forward. We still have to be cautious, but we can move forward. The province has been a leader on this. They set a date. So it gave us an opportunity to cross our t’s and dot our i’s. I think it would have created a lot of confusion if our existing bylaw would have stayed in place (until the 13th).”

Mayor Chris Spearman agreed that avoiding chaos, confusion and confrontation was the motivation for his vote on the issue.

“Even though we have misgivings personally about not using masks and not protecting others when they could, in the end, it is very difficult to enforce when you have a divided community,” stated Spearman.

Spearman also acknowledged what Dr. Luchak and Dr. Wilde told council earlier in the day about encouraging vaccination as the new priority of Alberta Health Services.

“Maybe we have to focus on a different message (as council),” said Spearman: “To encourage people to get their vaccinations and become fully vaccinated. I think in Lethbridge about 75 per cent of the eligible recipients have received their first shot. The number is considerably lower for  the second. And in the areas around us, it is concerning the levels of vaccination are considerably lower than in the city.”

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