Gisele Jubinville is exempt from wearing a face mask in St. Albert, but has had experiences where she felt pressured to put one on.
“I have had some people just like stopping in their tracks and looking at me sideways, shaking their head, rolling their eyes,” Jubinville said. “It's just so sad ... Do not judge me. You do not know my story.”
It’s been difficult for her to find clear answers on whether or not she could get fined for not wearing a mask, she said. In theory, all a person has to do is let a bylaw officer know that they are exempt, and that should suffice.
But private businesses do have autonomy over their own spaces, so they can dictate what they will or will not allow on their property. There isn't a mechanism to override that for people who are exempt in the city's bylaw.
Jubinville shared a recent experience going to a local coffee shop, where the company policy is for everyone to wear masks if a municipality mandates it.
She was told she could be served outside, but she needed to wear a mask inside. Other restaurants have had “different attitudes” to mandatory masks and recognized her exemption, she said.
In an attempt to make it easier for those who are exempt, the City of Edmonton began a now-suspended mask exemption card program this month for people who are unable to wear a mask due to physical or mental health conditions.
The card allow people to remain mask-free while in malls, grocery stores and other indoor spaces, and reads: "I cannot wear a mask or face covering" in bold font. They were available to anyone who asked at several recreation centres in the city, no supporting documents required.
Concerns the program was being abused by people who shouldn't be exempt resulted in the program’s suspension on Aug. 12, though the more than 3,800 cards that were given out remain valid.
The City of St. Albert is aware of Edmonton’s program, and while no formal discussions have happened yet, city councillors weighed in on the possibility of a similar program happening here.
Coun. Ken MacKay said because the logistics of the program do not require people to identify the reason for getting an exemption card, it would add another layer of complexity to the bylaw.
“We really have no ability to do that, even if we wanted to. We basically would have to create another honour system that I think just creates more problems than we're actually trying to solve,” MacKay said.
If enforcement officers start to report stories suggesting a need for it, he’d reconsider his position.
“But not right now. I don't see the need for (St. Albert),” MacKay said.
Coun. Wes Brodhead said he isn’t sure whether a card would prevent confrontations over mask use, but it does give those who are exempt a mechanism to declare it without having to defend themselves.
“That’s nobody’s business, really. So quite honestly, I think the idea has merit, and it will receive my vote if it comes to council,” Brodhead said.
Coun. Sheena Hughes said having an exemption card program would help reduce some of the stress from people who can’t wear masks. The card is easy to display, and would prevent the person from having to explain their physical or mental condition, which they are entitled to keep private under the Disabilities Act.
She said she sees such a program as the only way to compassionately address people who are being harassed because they can't wear masks. She said some of her emails detail resident experiences of people “screaming in their faces” over face coverings.
“That's pretty emotionally troubling ... quite a few people who are exempt from wearing masks are just afraid to go shopping in St. Albert because they are afraid that’s how they will be treated by other people.”
Jubinville said she just wants people to understand there are valid reasons for those exemptions. A person who has lung cancer may find the masks difficult to breathe through, or having to cover their mouth and nose may bring back symptoms of a previous traumatic experience.
“If ever you’re in the mall, or in the store, or at church, and someone is not wearing a mask, just ask yourself, how do you know that person doesn’t have a very valid reason for not wearing a mask?”
But she said she believes having a physical exemption card won’t prevent people from making comments or judging her. There’s too much fear out there, she said.
“They say we’re in this together, but we’re not. Where is the compassion? Under your mask? Because it’s gone. I don’t know if it’ll make a difference to have an exemption card or not, because I’ll be judged anyway.”
