Dozens of people attend anti- mask rally in downtown Medicine Hat Saturday ( Tiffany Goodwein/ CHAT News)

By Tiffany Goodwein

‘It’s about choice:’ Residents march to unmask Medicine Hat

Sep 5, 2020 | 4:45 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB- Dozens of people took to the downtown core Saturday, to express their right to unmask.

Signs embellished the streets as people marched and cheered from the Provincial building to City Hall.

“We are here to march for our freedoms to unmask. The unnecessary bylaws, mandates across the province, cities and our country is a violation of our rights and freedoms and we are here to say no,” organizer Stephen Campbell said.

At an August 18 press conference, Mayor Ted Clugston said the city is going to take a wait and see approach when it comes to imposing a mask bylaw, but Campbell argues the city’s position doesn’t go far enough.

“He hasn’t taken it off the table, it’s still on the table in case he needs it, and we are here to tell them that he needs to take that bylaw and shove it off the table completely. We live in a free society,” Campbell said.

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That sentiment is shared by protester Dwayne Wigemyr

“ The biggest reason I’m here today is because I want Canadians to wake up and I want them to inform themselves. Do not believe the lies of the media. Not all the media. The lies of the media will lead you down the wrong path because, and I’ll give you an example. Of the millions of people in the world who so called got coronavirus, Name me one person under the age of 12 who died from it? You can’t,” said Wigemyr.

The epidemiological summary posted on the Government of Canada website notes that one person between the ages of zero to 19 has died as a result of COVID-19 in Canada.

In the U.S, data from the Centers for Disease Control notes 31 deaths in children between the ages of zero and 4 and 50 deaths in children ages 5- 17.

At the rally, people of all ages took part, including a group of high school students who returned to school under new mask-wearing guidelines.

“When we sit in class we can’t breathe because we are not allowed to take them off we almost feel like we are suffocating,” said Kadence a 14-year-old Medicine Hat High School Student who said that mask-wearing makes it harder to learn.

“Especially for the people with mental health issues and they can’t help it and now they have a thing adding to their thing and it is just stress on stress on stress,” she said.

Concerns around mask use and the impact on learning is shared by Connie Nass, a retired teacher who attended the rally.

“ I am very, very concerned about what is happening at schools. Any teacher needs to have their face unmasked to connect with their children. Communication is what education is all about, and that will block communication, and that is, in fact, part of the plan of this thing and there’s no solid research that says masks do any good whatsoever,” Nass said.

As the participants completed their maze downtown and descended towards the city hall, their signs indicated a call for two main entities: freedom and the desire to choose.

“ This is about choice and whether you want to wear them or not. There’s really no evidence that points that they really work when the WHO and CDC flip-flop and really don’t say if there’s actual proof that they help the spread, so I I think it should be left to choice,” Campbell said.

Campbell said plans are in the works to hold similar rallies downtown in the future.