The City of Martensville is shying away from introducing mandatory masks in its civic facilities.
Martensville City Council opted at a meeting on Tuesday, September 7 to continue encouraging residents to follow provincial public health guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In addition to promoting vaccination, these guidelines include protective barriers, physical distancing, personal hygiene such as frequent handwashing, and optional masks in indoor public spaces.
Martensville Mayor Kent Muench put the issue on the September 7 council meeting agenda because of concern over the recent sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in the Saskatoon region, largely due to the spread of the Delta variant of the virus.
Martensville City Councillors agreed to leave the setting of public health guidelines up to the provincial government.
The decision, which took the form of an informal consensus rather than a formal motion, is similar to one reached by Warman City Council at a special meeting on Thursday, September 2.
Saskatchewan’s three largest cities, however, are taking a different tack. Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert have all introduced mandatory masking in their civic facilities and on transit buses. Saskatoon and Regina city councillors made the call in early September and Prince Albert council followed suit on September 7.
The mandatory masking order comes into effect in Prince Albert on September 10, according to the PA City website. Saskatoon’s mandatory masking order went into effect September 1. Regina’s became effective September 4. Both Regina and Prince Albert will be requiring proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 tests for city employees and for the public entering civic facilities.
Muench noted during discussion on the issue at the September 7 Martensville City Council meeting that because Martensville is lumped in with the larger Saskatoon region, which also includes Warman, Dalmeny, Osler and other communities, it’s difficult to tell exactly how widespread the cases of COVID-19 in Martensville actually are.
It’s also unclear what the vaccination rate is for the population of Martensville.
Muench noted that Martensville’s demographic is generally much younger than the region as a whole. But without solid data on which to base an informed decision, he added, it’s not realistic for council to impose restrictions that differ from the rest of the province.
“We don’t know the level of vaccination in our community,” said Muench. “It could be 70 per cent or it could be 20 per cent, or somewhere in between. We don’t know because the only figures we have access to are for the larger Saskatoon region as a whole.
“We need to rely on the province to provide that leadership for health guidelines and direction.”
Martensville City Councillor Spencer Nikkel noted the provincial government is responsible for health. Municipal governments, he pointed out, have very limited jurisdiction, and can only mandate masks in city-owned facilities, not private businesses.
“We should stick with following provincial guidelines,” said Nikkel. “But we should also be actively encouraging our residents to get vaccinated, in addition to other existing health measures.”