‘Confusing for municipalities’: District of Sparwood formally requests municipal health orders be struck

Elected officials in the District of Sparwood have formally requested all mandatory health orders that affect municipal operations be lifted.

In a letter addressed B.C. Premier John Horgan on behalf of himself and district councillors, Mayor of Sparwood, David Wilks argued that the orders on municipalities have been confusing and “to be blunt, have not made much sense.”

He shared the letter to twitter. Health Minister Adrian Dix, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonny Henry and MLA for Kootenay East Tom Shypitka are cc’d.

https://twitter.com/DavidJohnWilks/status/1491494782870249477?s=20&t=tWhqoRQJH57WK_-mQjUWQw

Wilks has previously argued that municipal governments do not have the capacity to enforce orders, which are downloaded from the federal government to the provinces, and then on to local governments which he says do not have the workers, time, money or wherewithal to stay on top of ever-changing orders.

In the letter on Feb. 9, Wilks gave various examples of orders ‘not making sense’, including orders around (or not around) requirements for vaccinations for participating in or spectating public sports, accessing public buildings, and watching council meetings.

For example, Wilks said that vaccination was not required to participate in indoor public skating, but vaccination was required to access municipal buildings where skating was located. ‘This required the unvaccinated person to enter a building tat they are not allowed to enter if they are going to watch an organized event.”

The letter leaned heavily on vaccination rates in the community for justification, with over 90 percent of B.C. residents five and older having received their first dose of vaccine as of Feb. 7.

“Based on the scientific numbers provided by the Province and the PHO (Provincial Health Officer), the District of Sparwood would like the Province of British Columbia and the PHO to lift all mandatory orders related to municipally run facilities except for mandatory masks, where required,” wrote Wilks.

“Based on vaccination rates we believe that herd immunity has been reached and for the physical and mental health of residents it is time to allow everyone to use taxpayer funded facilities.”

READ MORE: ‘We don’t have the capacity’: Sparwood Mayor takes aim at COVID health orders