Winnipeg mayor would support continued mask mandate in city buildings after provincial mandate dropped

Winnipeg's mayor says he wants to see face masks required for city facilities and transit buses even after the province drops its mandates next month.

"It's something that is very actively being looked at right now by our public service, and one that I would certainly support just out of an abundance of caution for the foreseeable future," Mayor Brian Bowman said in a news conference on Wednesday.

Manitoba's government is set to drop all proof-of-vaccine requirements March 1, and get rid of all COVID-19-related restrictions March 15, including mask mandates.

The City of Winnipeg first mandated mask use inside its facilities on Aug. 29, 2020. That includes places such as transit buses, city hall, recreation centres, libraries and city-owned arenas.

"It's one way in which we can mitigate risk for the residents and our staff in our facilities and transit buses,"  Bowman said Wednesday.

City staff wouldn't comment on mask mandates or COVID-19 vaccine requirements for the public service, adding in an email "it's premature to comment on additional steps the city may take ahead of seeing the next round of provincial public health orders."

Bowman said he's always believed changes in public health orders should be based on the advice of health-care officials.

"Ultimately, we'll see as Manitobans whether the timing was appropriate or not [to lift restrictions]," said Bowman. 

"I think we all want the same outcomes. We want our residents to be as safe as possible and to get back some normalcy as quickly as it makes sense from a health perspective."

Protests at legislature 'dangerous precedent'

Bowman said council is still waiting on direction from the city's chief administrative officer on how the municipal government should handle anti-vaccine mandate protestors who have been parked at the legislative building since early February.

"I'd like to see those that are currently occupying our streets to comply with our traffic and noise laws. They're not. They should and they should get off the street," said Bowman.

"This is a dangerous precedent that has occurred, and I don't think that we'll have a full appreciation for the precedent that this has created."

Bowman said he believes the protests are "an assault on the very foundations of our democracy."

"Peaceful demonstrations that are temporary in nature are something that we see regularly here in our community and communities across Canada," he said. "This is different. It is now an occupation."

The mayor said although the federal government has invoked the Emergencies Act, which extends its powers to remove protesters in times of crisis, the city will continue its research into how it can get protesters out, too.

"Our residents would be right to expect members of council to exercise whatever authorities and discretion we have at a municipal level of government for things that are non-policing in nature," he said.

Manitoba government set to drop mask mandate March 15

3 years ago

Duration 2:11

Winnipeg's mayor says he wants to see face masks required for city facilities and transit buses even after the province drops its mandates next month.