Alberta to introduce legislation to prevent municipal public health measures

Premier Jason Kenney announced Tuesday that Alberta will be bringing in new legislation to prevent municipalities from imposing their own public health restrictions.

The proposed amendments to the Municipal Government Act (MGA) will restrict the ability of municipalities to pass bylaws that contradict public health policies and rules enacted by the province.

The announcement comes as Alberta drops the majority of its COVID-19 restrictions. Edmonton, however, has kept its own mask bylaw.

Now that the province is rescinding its own mask bylaw, the City’s masking bylaw cannot be repealed arbitrarily. There’s a process, prescribed under the Municipal Government Act, that our City Council must follow to determine what happens next.

— Amarjeet Sohi (@AmarjeetSohiYEG) February 28, 2022

“Something Albertans do not deserve right now is uncertainty and confusion,” said Kenney at a news conference in Red Deer.

“We are considering that a patchwork of policies across the province could just lead to greater division, confusion, and enforcement difficulties with no compelling public health rationale.”

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Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver says the proposed change will create clarity and certainty for Albertans.

“Municipalities have asked the provincial government to take the lead on public health policy many times in the past, and we are confident now is the right time for everyone in the province to follow the same rules to avoid confusion and frustration,” he said in a statement.

Kenney said that the province will have more information on the legislation in the days to come.