City Council has voted unanimously to make non-medical face masks required on public transit, and recommended in city-operated facilities and for indoor city services.

The changes will come into effect Tuesday (September 1st), and Anthony Tataryn with the Emergency Operation Centre says they have developed a comprehensive communications plan to get the word out. Tataryn says one of the priorities of the plan is public education, saying the EOC will have communication regarding the overarching campaign but also one that is specific to public transit. Tataryn explains the campaign will educate the public on the importance of using masks and how to use them safely.

For the first two weeks the city will be providing masks to the public, masks that Tataryn says were already acquired and budgeted for during the pandemic. The mask requirement will be more about education then enforcement, with the goal to support the promotion of wearing masks rather than penalizing for occasionally not wearing one.

Councillor Sarina Gersher also mentioned that along with this safety measure, budgeting discussions will be continuing to retro-fit and include plexiglass driver safety barriers in future bus purchases.