The divisive issue of vaccine passports was once again up for discussion in an Okotoks emergency meeting.

With the Restrictions Exemption Program officially underway, Okotoks councillors gathered Tuesday, Sept. 21, for an Emergency Advisory Committee meeting to talk about the best direction for the town moving forward.

The Emergency Advisory Committee is a committee of council with seats open to all current council members.

The negative implications for both one-third capacity restrictions as well as the Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) were discussed at length by council.

Chief Administrative Officer, Elaine Vincent, says the town is not in the position to make a discretionary decision on the issue.

"For those who disagree with this, it's not a municipal decision. It is the policy directive of the Province that we're required to implement."

The Town has been given the option between two public health orders, CMOH Order 43-2021 and CMOH Order 42-2021.

"Neither of the options are great. The consequence is a divided society, and that's playing out in everything right now. And the municipality is about building bridges and uniting people, so that's why council struggles with this decision."

In the end, committee members resolved to stick with the REP requirements (Directive 43).

The potential termination of certain programs and sports activities, if they opted not to go with the REP guidelines, was thoroughly outlined for the committee.

The issue of unvaccinated parents being unable to accompany minors under eight at REP facilities was also a major concern.

Councillor Ed Sands and Acting Deputy Mayor Florence Christophers both leaned toward a hybrid of trying to have one facility follow REP guidelines while making the other abide by one-third capacity, but there were several concerns about the feasibility of such a plan.

Throughout the meeting, committee members stressed providing access to the most people with the least amount of disruption.

The Town of Okotoks, as well as other municipalities, played a part in advocating for youth under 18 to not require vaccination to enter REP facilities, an issue that was resolved Monday evening, Sept. 20.

While the council has opted to continue with the REP restrictions for the Pason Centennial Arena and the Rec Centre at this time, they remain open to revisiting the topic in the days ahead.

 

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