Mackenzie County is asking the provincial government to allow businesses and recreation facilities to open their doors.
The letter was written by Reeve, Josh Knelsen and sent throughout the north to other councils, even making it to High Level.
The letter was dated for January 27 and Knelsen talks about council’s appreciation for the efforts of the government to keep people safe, the letter also talks about the end of some businesses if restrictions, such as in-person dining are not fully restored.
Knelsen stated the following in his letter:
“We strongly urge the Provincial Government to reopen access to indoor recreational facilities, such as arenas, to the public and establish additional supportive public health guidelines. These could include allowing facility rentals for private functions.
Additionally, we urge the Provincial Government to reopen all business services as many are at risk of closing permanently and losing their livelihood. In our rural remote northern location, services such as restaurants are extremely limited. Reinstating in-person service will assist in sustainability into the future.”
In an interview with the Trending 55 Newsroom, Knelsen says he is happy to see restrictions being relaxed.
“Not as quickly as we would like to see but every step in the right direction is good,” says the reeve when talking about the province relaxing public health measures on Monday.
“There are a lot of hurting people right now; businesses that are on the brink of bankruptcy and mental health is in the tank.”
Knelsen adds that he appreciates the government’s efforts to control the spread, but thinks the province can achieve both restricting the spread and allowing businesses and facilities to open with a regional approach to restrictions.
“It’s tough,” explains Knelsen.
“There are a lot of people that say we need everything lifted and others that say we need to keep everything in place, and some MLA’s have come forward saying the approach should be regional.”
In closing, Knelsen says he believes that a regional approach to measures is best for everybody.
“If Edmonton and Calgary want to locked up tighter than Fort Knox, let them. In some cases, the only thing hurting people right now are these restrictions.”
– Kenny Trenton, Trending 55 Newsroom
