CHAT News file photo

By Alex McCuaig

Medicine Hat COVID-19 response

City to hold closed-door planning meeting on COVID-19 response Friday

Mar 26, 2020 | 2:53 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Medicine Hat City Council will be holding a closed-door session on Friday to discuss the municipality’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coun. Darren Hirsch says he’s hearing from Hatters that they are looking to understand more about the details of the financial aid packages being offered by different levels of government as details begin to emerge about how they’ll be rolled out.

“People are in search of answers and a lot of times, we’re in the same situation of trying to gain an understanding in terms of what’s the impact to them as citizens of the Hat,” said Hirsch.

He said the city’s administration is identifying key civic staff while working on short- and long-term plans for residents to deal with the situation with Friday’s meeting an opportunity for councillors to be briefed on the latest plans.

WHAT'S ON

Here is what's on this weekend in Medicine Hat and area: Dec. 13-15

6h ago

IN THE COMMUNITY

Medicine Hat's Mustard Seed adding new shelter spaces at Alberta government's request

Dec 12, 2024

HOLIDAYS

Medicine Hat Kiwanis hosting Christmas dinner, applications due Friday

Dec 12, 2024

Coun. Phil Turnbull, who returned from Mexico six days ago, stressed the need for residents to self-isolate if necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Turnbull says he and other councillors who fall under provincial health recommendations are not just preaching that message but practising it as well, expecting there to be a couple of councillors besides himself will join the meeting remotely.

He added the federal, provincial and municipal levels of government need to be coordinated in their response.

“All three levels of government must do everything possible to help our citizens get through this very trying time,” said Turnbull. “And we will do whatever we can – I certainly will – to push to do everything we can to financially help our citizens.”

Turnbull said Hatters are dealing with job loss, quarantine and parents required to be home for childcare.

As local tax collectors, Turnbull says the municipality needs to allocate public funds in a responsible manner under the circumstances.

“We need to make sure we spend that money wisely and sparingly but we can’t be a scrooge. We’ve got to do what we need to do because I don’t know how long this situation will go on,” said Turnbull.

The situation is much the same in Brooks, according to Mayor Barry Morishita.

And while that city has issued a state of local emergency, it hasn’t utilized the additional authorities that situation allows it to.

As president of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA), Morishita says he is encouraged by the provincial government’s response and the lines of communications between it and municipalities remain open and collaborative.

He says the AUMA is communicating with the province to make sure everyone is on the same page.

“I’ll give the government a lot of credit here, they are working closely with us and we’re understanding what their goals are,” said Morishita.

However, he added he’d like to see changes to governance regulations for municipalities.

“We’re calling on the province to change some regulations and rules to allow municipalities to be nimbler, to be quicker, to be able to have meetings in this age where we don’t want public gatherings,” he said.