OLDS — A councillor’s effort to toss out a pro-Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) email in council’s agenda package failed during a Jan. 10 meeting.
Coun. Harvey Walsh made the motion. It appeared that he and Coun. James Cummings were the only two who voted in favour of it.
Under the REP, Albertans are required to show proof of vaccination or an exemption or a negative COVID-19 test in order to enter many businesses, facilities and venues. One example where that is enforced is in the municipally-owned Sportsplex.
"It’s a public letter. How could I remove it?” mayor Judy Dahl asked.
Walsh said he and Dahl had been sent a number of emails of people who spoke against the REP and wished to thank council for hearing them during a council meeting on Dec. 6.
But they were not included in the packages, while the pro-REP letter was. He called that unfair and said in the interest of “transparency,” and being "inclusive" it should be removed.
“It's not a balanced presentation,” Walsh said, adding the community has become “quite divided” over the issue.
“We should be working towards unity, not division,” he said, adding that the email in question referred to a news story on the Dec. 6 meeting and thus, in his opinion, did not necessarily belong in the package.
A roughly 12:30-minute discussion on the topic ensued.
Coun. Cummings agreed in general with Walsh saying council is not news media.
"Either we include all letters that we receive or we do not include all letters we receive. We can’t cherrypick letters and put ones in there that support our position or not,” he said.
The email from Gloria Ulry was addressed to mayor Judy Dahl, with copies going to town councillors.
Dahl said it was her understanding that Ulry wanted to attend the Dec. 6 meeting but was unable to do so.
“Please let your councillors know that for every person at that meeting against the protocols I could find dozens of constituents that agree with the protocols and applaud the efforts of the town to follow provincial and federal mandates and recommendations of Alberta Health Services,” she wrote.
“I am also wondering why the people who attended the meeting were allowed into the town office without vaccinations, negative tests, and masks.
“It seems to me that the town office should be leading by example on protocols and I can only hope that all councillors would make the choice to protect citizens in a public health crisis.
“I believe that people have the right to choose to vaccinate or not, but with that choice comes consequences. If you choose to not vaccinate you should stay home. Any councillors not vaccinated should be attending meetings virtually.
“I am so grateful to feel safer going to watch my grandchildren play hockey, to be able to eat in restaurants, go to movies and other events.
“These protocols help to reduce the spread of this virus which impacts the health of those who get it and have caused many people to have had surgeries and treatments cancelled or postponed, primarily due to unvaccinated COVID patients that fill our hospitals.
“So, I ask that the town hold firm to the REP protocols and encourage our citizens to care about the greater community by being vaccinated, wearing masks, hand sanitizing and social distancing.”
Ulry added that she would willing give her views on the subject at a council meeting.
Coun. Wanda Blatz spoke in favour of keeping the email in the agenda package.
"I think that it was very good that we did get responses due to our Dec. 6 P & P meeting from individuals who presented,” she said.
“But this is the opposite side of that presentation and I believe that both sides of this issues need to be heard, loud and clear. And I saw nothing wrong with this letter.”
Legislative clerk Marcie McMillan said she didn’t receive any of the emails from the speakers at the Dec. 6 meeting that Walsh referred to.
“Everything that we received has been put forward regarding the REP from citizens,” she said.
Chief administrative officer Michael Merritt backed McMillan up on that point.
He and a few councillors, including Walsh, Cummings and Dahl, agreed that council could perhaps at a future date review its policy regarding reception and inclusion of correspondence in council agendas.
