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Calgary bylaw and police services both say they will step up enforcement of COVID-19 rules after Alberta’s justice minister vowed more action against repeat violators.
In a news release Thursday evening, the agencies said enforcement of public health orders continues to be a priority.
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However, zero violation tickets under the Public Health Act have been issued in Calgary over the past week.
Chief bylaw inspector Ryan Pleckaitis said in the release city bylaw officers would team up with police and other officials to address some areas of high concern for non-compliance with the measures.
Alberta is doubling the penalty for people who break rules under the Public Health Act (PHA) and is introducing "a new enforcement protocol to more effectively target flagrant noncompliance," Justice Minister Kaycee Madu said Wednesday.
By sharing information and discussing the enforcement actions this way, on top of doubling the fines, public health orders will be enforced more effectively and consistently than before, Madu said.
The comments come the same day the Whistle Stop Cafe in Mirror, Alta., was shut down after defying health orders for months and just days after a rodeo in Bowden, Alta., hosted hundreds of people, most without masks and not physically distancing.
Tools for enforcement
The premier and province s justice minister said Wednesday they ll continue to leave the enforcement of public health orders up to police and other agencies. We, as elected folks, cannot direct operational decisions on individual cases by police or law enforcement agencies, said Alberta Premier Jason Kenney.
CALGARY Calgary s chief of police says current enforcement measures for people who aren t following public health measures aren t working against repeat offenders who flout rules and regularly attend public protests. Police Chief Mark Neufeld says the service is working with the province to try and overcome legal hurdles that have caused dozens of tickets to be thrown out or withdrawn by the Crown. Our partners at the province have asked us not to fill the courts with $100 mask bylaw tickets and to be more strategic in the enforcement, so we ve done that, Chief Neufeld told councillors on Monday. He says court backlogs and challenges mean some tickets issued by Calgary Police have taken 16 weeks to be addressed. Some matters won t head to court until 2022, Neufeld said, meaning it isn t a deterrent to people who are currently attending protests and breaking rules under the Public Health Act (PHA).