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State of Local Emergency declared in Wood Buffalo

Last Updated Apr 26, 2021 at 5:23 pm MDT

PHOTO. MYMCMURRAY. Melanie Walsh.

FORT MCMURRAY — In a Special Meeting held Sunday, the council of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) passed a motion to declare a State of Local Emergency to support efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.

After being drafted and processed, the State of Local Emergency was officially declared on Monday afternoon.

The emergency declaration will support future council actions to deal with the local challenges and risks.

The Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Emergency Management will deliver a series of recommendations which could include enhanced measures to curb the COVID-19 emergency within the region. These recommendations will be brought forward to council on Tuesday.

Additional motions that passed on Sunday’s meeting:

That a request be made to the Provincial and Federal governments for an accelerated vaccine distribution for Wood Buffalo;

That Mayor, Councillors and Indigenous governments of our Region call for an urgent, emergency meeting with the Premier of Alberta, Provincial Ministers of Health and Education, Alberta Health Services, Federal Ministers of Health, Public Safety and Indigenous Services, Prime Minister of Canada, as well as Industry Partners, and anyone else identified by Mayor and Councillors and/or our Indigenous Governments, to identify immediate actions to be taken to reduce the COVID-19 numbers in the Region and increase resources for the health of our people.

That a letter from the collaborative leadership of the Region be sent to both provincial and federal government officials outlining our concerns with respect to this matter.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) remains the trusted authority and primary information source on updates on COVID-19. Factual, up-to date information will continue to be available at alberta.ca/covid19.

For further information or questions, contact PULSE at 780-743-7000, toll-free 1-800-973-9663 or online at rmwb.ca/pulse.