Mayor Gondek says provincial plan to relax COVID-19 restrictions yet to be explained to municipalities

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says she's still waiting to learn more about Premier Jason Kenney's intention to wind down COVID-19 health restrictions.

During a Facebook live stream late Thursday, Kenney said a firm date to scrap the province's vaccine passport program, along with almost all other public health restrictions, would be announced next week. 

On Friday, Gondek told CBC News that it hasn't been explained yet what that would mean for Calgary.

"They have not treated municipalities as partners in this exercise of public health and public safety," Gondek said. "It's more of the same. It's a roller-coaster of not knowing what's happening."

Speaking Thursday, Kenney said the government's COVID cabinet committee would meet early next week before announcing a plan to remove restrictions.

"After two years of this, we simply cannot continue to rely on the blunt instrument of damaging restrictions as a primary tool to cope with a disease that will likely be with us for the rest of our lives," he said.

Kenney also said his government would look at taking away the ability of municipalities to make their own public health bylaws for measures like mask mandates.

Should the province rescind the restrictions exemption program, the city's vaccination passport would also cease given it is tied to the province's technology.

However, the city's mask bylaw would remain until council alters it or should the province strip municipal power to alter the bylaw.

"But it's always best to be making decisions in concert with your partner, which is the provincial government," Gondek said.

"It would sure be nice to have access to the same data and work with them to make really strong decisions in the interests of the citizens we serve together."