Council Clips - December 10, 2020
Council Clips – December 10, 2020
At a Special Meeting and Finance Committee Meeting today, Council discussed the impact to municipal operations with the current COVID-19 measures in Canmore.
Visitor Management
- Council directed administration to bring options back to Council to amend our mask bylaw to add a requirement for face coverings to be worn outdoors on Main Street.
- Council also asked administration to bring recommendations to council with respect to consideration of temporarily making Main Street pedestrian-only again.
- Council requested signs at entrances to Canmore to discourage all non-essential travel in accordance with provincial health regulations, applying to visitors as well as Canmore residents.
- Entrances to the community will not be blocked as we remain a service centre for our neighbouring communities, and we continue to allow homeowners to access their properties.
Facilities
- Elevation Place and the Canmore Recreation Centre will close on Sunday. This closure will result in the temporary lay-off of most recreation and facilities staff working at these buildings. We are incredibly proud of the work these staff have done over the past number of months to safely deliver front-line recreation services and programming to the community.
- The remainder of our staff will continue doing the essential work that ensures residents and visitors receive the services needed for daily life in Canmore.
- Canmore Civic Centre, Public Works (including Bylaw Services), Firehall, and RCMP buildings will be closed to the public, with administrative staff working from home and in-person services only available by calling for an appointment.
- Day shelter will remain open for afternoon drop-in at the Canmore Civic Centre.
- As we wait for provincial guidelines for how to manage outdoor ice surfaces, we will start with developing the non-boarded rinks at Rundle Crescent, Peaks of Grassi, and at Our Lady of the Snows. The pond and boarded ice rinks will not be usable at this time and will be opened when safe to do so.
- While maintenance of local trails and pathways will be prioritized, we know that the freeze/thaw cycles we experience in Canmore make it difficult to prevent icy patches. We want to set realistic expectations and assure the community we will do our best to keep the trails accessible.
New Year’s Eve
- Council approved the fireworks to proceed on New Year’s Eve to help lift community spirits during these challenging times. Stay tuned for more details on how to watch them while staying physically distant.
