'We will work to support calm': Edmonton city council suspends meetings to focus on COVID-19

Edmonton city councillorshave voted unanimously to suspend all council and committee meetings until March 30 as part of the city's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This will disrupt everything for a period of time but I think it's also key that we give our staff the opportunity to focus on what they need to do right now," Mayor Don Iveson said Friday during an emergency meeting at city hall.

The move affects all committee meetings and public hearings, with the exception of the Edmonton Police Commission.

"We will work to support calmand support our community to be resilient through what will be a very challenging time for families, a very challenging time for businesses, a very challenging time for vulnerable people and a very challenging time for our employees doing this important work, and for front-line emergency responders and health-care workers," Iveson said.

"We will all have a role to play in supporting that calm."

Councillorswill carry oncity business,Iveson said.

The next time councillors meet will be March 30, and that meeting may be held "virtually," Iveson said. Several councillors at Friday's meeting dialled in by phone instead of being there in person.

In a news release Friday afternoon, the city said that while Edmonton Transit Service currently disinfects and cleans buses and trains daily, that is being "enhanced in both intensity and frequency," effective immediately.

Cleaning activities for recreation centres are also being enhanced immediately, the city said.Recreation centres will remain open, but attendance at smaller leisure centres will be limited to 250 people.

At larger rec centres, attendance will be limited to 250 people for each amenity, such as gyms, pools and fitness centres.

Kids' dens and indoor playgrounds at city facilities will close. Registered and drop-in programs are cancelled until further notice.

Mill Woods Seniors Association, North Edmonton Seniors association and Central Lions Seniors Association are closed as of Sunday.

All city-led public engagement events and information sessions are cancelled, as are city hall tours and City Hall School. Fire station tours.

All city attractions are being assessed, with decisions to be made "regarding the appropriateness of staying open," the city said.

Measures for city staff

Business-related travel and in-person training for city staff has been cancelled. Non-essential in-person meetings are being scaled back.Temporary work-from-home arrangements are being put in place where appropriate.

Updated information will be provided at edmonton.ca/covid-19.

At Friday's meeting, councillors askedadministrators wide-ranging questions about city services, city employees and what measures the city can take to help slow the spread of coronavirus infection.

Interim city manager Adam Laughlin told the meetingthere isn't a requirement "at this point in time" for the city to declare a local state of emergency.

Some city services may be reduced in the near future as needed, Laughlin said.

Helping vulnerable populations

Coun. Scott McKeenasked what steps the city is taking to help vulnerable populations, including people who are homeless, as they have a higher risk of transmission when sleeping on mats in shelters.

McKeen was told that a meeting is scheduled between community agencies, the city and the province for Tuesday.

Coun. Michael Walters echoed McKeen's concerns, addingthat vulnerable people "could be very effective at spreading the virus" if arrangements are not in place for them to be properly isolated.

Coun. Moe Banga asked if the city is doing anything to limit the number of passengers on buses and LRT trains. Laughlin told him the city is following the provincial recommendation to encourage people to stay two metres apart.

Coun. Tony Caterinaposed a similar concern: "Sixty people on a bus at peak times could be extremely problematic," he said.

Another councillor, Aaron Paquette, asked administrators if the city is doing everything it can to not make mistakes made in other jurisdictions where COVID-19 infections have spread widely.

"We're not inventing the wheel," Paquette said. "We've seen what has happened in other countries."

Laughlin assured councilthe city is following guidelines from Alberta Health Services, and in some cases going a step beyond to try to contain the outbreak.

Task force monitoring virus

Iveson called for the emergency council meeting during a news conference Thursday night.

A city task force on the outbreak continues to monitor the situation,Iveson said, and frequent updates will be made to the public as the situation evolves.

He said city administration is drafting a "thoughtful" response to the escalating provincial protocols.

"As your local government, we do have plans in place that will ensure essential services that you depend on like drinking water, emergency services, transit, waste management will all continue to be delivered regardless of what happens," he said.

"We do need to take action, and though there is no need to panic at this time, we need to act with caution."

• COVID-19: Albertans urged to cancel all gatherings of more than 250 people

In her news conference held Thursday afternoon, Alberta's chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said public gatherings of more than 250 people and all international events in the province should be cancelled.

Schools and daycares can remain open, but Albertans are now being advised not to travel to any destination outside Canada.

As of Thursday afternoon, there were 23 confirmed cases in Alberta, including seven patients in the Edmonton zone.

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During the city's Thursdaynews conference, Laughlin said all large city-run events will be cancelled.

"These are trying times for all of us," Laughlin said."What's top of mind for me is our staff who work so hard to keep the services in Edmonton running.

"This is an ever-changing situation that we have to respond to in kind."

The City of Calgaryinvoked its municipal emergency plan on Thursday.The declaration stops short of invoking a state of local emergency but gives the Calgary Emergency Management Agency some additional powers so it can make quicker decisions.

The outbreak continues to have an increasing impact on daily life in Alberta, cancelling large events, leaving store shelves barren and putting a chill on business.

The University of Alberta temporarily suspended classes on Friday. The campus, however, remains open. The University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge are taking the same measures.

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Here are some of the cancellations in Edmonton:

• Edmonton Oilers games are postponed as NHL season is paused.
• Edmonton Oil Kings games are postponed as the WHL season is paused.
• Edmonton Convention Centre has cancelled or postponed all events of 250 people or more.
• Edmonton Expo Centre has cancelled or postponed all events of 250 people or more.
• Citadel Theatre has closed or postponed its shows.
• The Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium is closed indefinitely
• The Telus World of Science is closed temporarily.
• All Edmonton Symphony Orchestra events this month at the Winspear Centre are cancelled
• Edmonton rec centres will cancel programming involving large groups of people
• Tours and public events at the Alberta Legislature are suspended.
• The CFL regional combine in Edmonton was cancelled
• Edmonton Flamenco Festival was cancelled
• Edmonton Home and Garden Show postponed
• Edmonton Public Schools is limiting large gatherings and cancelling international field trips
• The November Project cancelled all workout and social events