Coronavirus (COVID-19) Local News

"Early relaxation of public-health measures has left two crumbling health-care systems in their wake and the dire realities are now in full view," said Dr. Katharine Smart, president of the Canadian Medical Association.

“If we were to bring in widespread restrictions, [they] would most likely be complied with by people who are vaccinated, but we would likely see large scale non-compliance among the unvaccinated population. That wouldn’t necessarily get us much further ahead,” said the premier.

The province's vaccine passport system, referred to as the "restriction exemption program," detailed vaccine requirements for customers, but not employees. St. Albert has adopted a new mandate to expand the program.

Now cases have climbed again, as they have in the rest of the province. St. Albert hasn’t seen cases this high since the peak of the second wave, on Jan. 1 of this year.

"Most of the people that are in ICU that are requiring that extreme care, most of those people are unvaccinated."

Vaccine passports will be required at all recreational and cultural facilities in St. Albert starting Monday, but will not be required to vote at Servus Place.

Councillors noted their disappointment at the ongoing pandemic, but highlighted the report's continuing importance for the city going forward.

Servus Place, Fountain Park, and the Arden Theatre will sign on to a vaccine passport system; council is still unsure of what that will look like.

Online learning is set to continue.

St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron tweeted on Wednesday night that she will be calling the meeting in the wake of new restrictions and the province’s declaration of a public-health state of emergency.