With only three councillors, plus the Mayor, left around the table, council was forced to adjourn after around 20 minutes. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Council matters

Councillors walk out of meeting on COVID-19

Mar 24, 2020 | 6:46 AM

A Prince Albert city council meeting, called in part to discuss COVID-19, was cut short after two councillors walked out, leaving the chamber without the minimum four councillors, plus the mayor needed to continue proceedings.

During Monday night’s meeting, the city’s politicians voted to stop requesting medical notes from city employees for the next two weeks and formally granted the mayor the power to declare a local emergency and borrow funds outside the yearly budget if needed. But to the disappointment of one councillor, the city’s governing body stopped short of taking further action.

Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp tried to move a number of motions related to COVID-19, including that the city not cut off anyone’s water until further notice, and that city council meet electronically during the pandemic. She also asked that the city provide paid leave to employees required to self-isolate, as well as to staff who need to make arrangements for childcare as a result of COVID-19.

None of her motions got a seconder, meaning they all failed on the floor without discussion. As she tried to bring a fifth motion, Coun. Blake Edwards walked out. Coun. Ted Zurakowski, who told paNOW he had a prior engagement, had already left earlier in the meeting.

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Now down five councillors, including three councillors who were also absent from last week’s meeting, proceedings were forced to adjourn.

In the name of public safety

“City council had the opportunity tonight to make important significant changes that would be able to increase safety and make a real change in terms of flattening the curve of this pandemic,” Lennox-Zepp told paNOW after the meeting. “And we chose not too. These are all changes that are already happening in either Regina or Saskatoon or both.”

Lennox-Zepp said she was disappointed council wouldn’t commit to not cutting off water to homes that were behind on their bills during the pandemic.

“That would have been so important,” she said. “We want our citizens in a time of crisis to be able to have access to water so people can be using proper hygiene because it will impact the rest of us in the city,” she explained.

“We may look back on today and wonder why we did not enact these types of measures to better protect our citizens.”

Weighing the financial implications

Meanwhile Mayor Greg Dionne said he was pleased with the city’s response to COVID-19 although he admitted he’d “be happier if we were more united as a council.”

He explained he simply couldn’t vote in favour of an idea without seeing the cost attached to it.

“If I don’t know the cost, I’m not putting my hand up, because I could put my hand up and it could be a $10 million dollar bill,” he said.

Dionne said the city will follow all directions from the province on COVID-19, but the financial implications of any additional measures have to be carefully considered.

“This COVID pandemic has not caused anybody’s water bill to go in arrears, the people that have arrears already owe us two,three,four months ,and that’s what people have to understand,” Dionne said. “We’re going to be sensitive to it, but at the same time we need that money to operate our water treatment plant.”

Councillor Blake Edwards was not immediately available for comment as to why he left the meeting early.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom