The education will continue in regards to the latest COVID-19 bylaws and regulations.
However, those who refuse to learn and instead choose not to obey the rules could face an expensive lesson.
“We are going to focus on working with our business community and citizens through strong communication and hopefully (there will be) significant respect for the orders that are out from the Province,” said Kelly Stienwand, Okotoks protective services director. “We will investigate cases where we can.
"Our focus won’t be writing tickets it will be about working with people, neighbourhoods and trying to get people to comply and to put the health and well-being of the community upfront.”
Premier Jason Kenney issued new restriction during a press conference on Nov. 24 in regards to social gatherings, number of patrons in restaurants and bars and retail stores.
The announcement came on a day when Alberta had 1,115 new cases and a then provincial high of 13,349 active cases.
Highlights of the restrictions include no indoor gatherings in any setting, including at homes. Outdoor gatherings are restricted to 10 people and wedding and funerals are limited to 10 people.
In restaurants and bars, tables can seat a maximum of six people as long as they are from the same household, last call is at 10 p.m. and establishments that sell both food and alcohol must close by 11 p.m.
For retail stores, including grocery stores, they are allowed up to 25 per cent capacity
Okotoks municipal enforcement officers were not surprised by the announcement, because of prior COVID-19 statistics and concerns raised by Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, Stienwand said.
“For the town of Okotoks it means our enforcement bodies will have the authority to investigate and potentially issue fines for people who are blatantly disregarding the public health orders,” he said.
So far, the community has responded positively, Stienwand said on Nov. 30.
“We haven’t received a lot of concerns from the community and it appears everybody is being patient while we all make adjustments to comply with these new health orders,” he said.
No fines were issued.
“Most of the complaints we received have mostly been about clarity and talking through challenges that different businesses were having,” Stienwand said. “And people had some concerns about their interpretation of the new orders…
“People really are getting used to making these adjustments and people see with the numbers we are having in the province is justifying some bold action.”
To see the new restrictions go to alberta.ca and click on enhanced public health measures.
Stienwand admitted on Nov. 25 it is difficult to see if gatherings at homes are only of those people of the same household or to determine who are those six people around the table.
But he stressed, for the most part, residents and businesses want to comply.
“We take a lot of calls every day that focus on how they can comply to the requirements whether it is our masking bylaw or the provincial orders that are now out,” Stienwand said. “For the most part, we have been very successful in finding ways to interpret and ensure people are complying.
“We have had a really strong showing from the business community.”
Municipal enforcement has not issued any tickets either in regard to the Okotoks mandatory mask bylaw for all indoor facilities, which was issued on Oct. 26, or provincial regulations related to COVID-19.
“We are really proud of that,” Stienwand said. “It’s not because we haven’t had any complaints, it is because of the way we approached it and the way the community responded.
“It is really reflective of the community we have in Okotoks.”
However, that doesn’t mean the community will get a free pass in the future.
With an initial lockdown taking place in March, educating citizens and businesses has been going on for eight months.
As well, the regulations put in place by Kenney on Nov. 24 have some teeth, with fines starting at a $1,000.
“We have to all do our part,” Stienwand said. “Enforcement is definitely a possibility. If we find people who are blatantly and purposely disregarding the public health order, they would be at risk of getting a fine.
“Those are always at the discretion of the officer investigating that situation.”
Stienwand said he’s heard some complaints from those debating the science of COVID-19. However, that’s not his bailiwick, working with the community is.
“We know that there is going to be a lot of time to debate the value as to how we have responded to this pandemic,” Stienwand said. “But for now, we are just asking our community to respect the public health orders and to do their part to protect the health and well-being of our community.”
