INNISFAIL – The owners of the local barbershop that made provincial headlines over its bold defiance of provincial COVID restrictions is celebrating the provincial government’s decision to allow the reopening of all hair salons on Monday.
Yesterday, the province announced that as of Jan. 18, personal and wellness services will be allowed to open by appointment only. As well, up to 10 people will be allowed at outdoor social gatherings. Indoor gatherings remain prohibited.
Funeral ceremony attendance will be increased to 20 people, with mandatory masking and two-metre physical distancing. Funeral receptions are still not allowed.
But the personal services issue is a huge development, in light of the growing number of complaints and defiance of several hair salons across the province, most notably by Innisfail's Bladez 2 Fadez Barbershop.
Since Jan. 12, the local business has been defying the provincial restriction that it had to remain closed until Jan. 21.
"I'm over the moon, excited that they relaxed the restrictions for personal services. I hope (the provincial government) heard loud and clear," said Natalie Klein, co-owner of the Innisfail rebel barbershop that is now facing two charges for defying provincial COVID restrictions. “The people working in the background for us really made a difference. I think we opened up a lot of businesses, and it’s a big win for us.
“I think we maybe played a part in it, as well as other Albertans writing letters and signing petitions,” she added of the Jan. 14 provincial announcement. “There was quite a few things at work achieving these results.”
Klein, who is the niece of former Alberta premier Ralph Klein, illegally re-opened Tuesday, and continued to do so Wednesday and Thursday. She said RCMP came to the barbershop with warnings and violation tickets on the first two days, but not Thursday. On Friday, she said her barbershop would be closed until Monday when it will be officially legal to reopen.
“I am following restrictions and we are closed until Monday. We are rebooking all customers for next week,” said Klein, adding she’s “very, very relieved” she can once again operate her business “legally and safely” and abide by all provincial COVID regulations still in place. “We look forward to having customers continuing supporting us, and serving them in a legal fashion.”
Klein said she’s been in contact with a lawyer to prepare for her March 8 court date. The local small businesswoman said she will fight both violation tickets. She is charged with removing a notice posted for public information and another for contravening an order of the medical officer of health.
In the meantime, she may also have to deal with the Town of Innisfail with additional legal issues.
Todd Becker, the town’s chief administrative officer, said the town is reviewing its Business License Bylaw to determine whether any municipal section was broken during the barbershop’s defiance of provincial COVID restrictions, as well as sorting out whether enforcement should have been undertaken.
“We’ve had a lot of public feedback and inquiry about the application of the business licence and its regulatory ability to impact this hair salon working outside the boundaries of the provincial government restrictions,” said Becker. “I am actually reviewing the bylaw now to determine its place with this situation.
“What I am doing is determining the authority of the bylaw, what merit does it have regarding this situation,” he said, adding he’s also trying to determine the town’s options of enforcement, such as possible fines and even reviewing the future legitimacy of the licence.
Becker said he expects his review to be completed early next week. “Those are the questions that I need to answer. How does this bylaw apply to this current situation with this business?” he added.
Klein said the town did call her to let her know her booking site was registered at a local mobile home court, with her business licence not being valid for that location. She said she assured the town her business was located elsewhere, and that she neither lives or operates a business at any Innisfail mobile home park.
As for any potential municipal bylaw violation, Klein said she has not heard anything from the town on that issue.
