In response to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, Rocky View County (RVC) has closed County Hall and suspended several programs and events for at least two weeks.
“The health, safety and well-being of our residents and employees, and our efforts to maintain important County services for the public, are our top priorities,” CAO Al Hoggan stated in a March 16 press release announcing the closures. “RVC will continue to fully operate core services, including fire, enforcement, utilities, solid waste and road safety. However, non-essential and in-person services, such as building permit or planning applications, are suspended.”
Council and committee meetings have also been cancelled, and agenda items will be rescheduled for a later date.
Currently, RVC plans to reopen to the public and resume full services April 1. However, according to Grant Kaiser, executive director of Community and Business Connections, the situation is fluid and closures and cancellations may be extended.
“If the actions being taken fail to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, it’s possible the closure could last longer for the County and other businesses, recreation facilities, restaurants and more,” he said.
According to Reeve Greg Boehlke, “every municipality is kind of working from an unknown” as the COVID-19 situation continues to develop.
“We’re trying to keep as close as we can to normalcy in a completely abnormal situation,” he added.
Boehlke said RVC continues to follow provincial recommendations and, according to Kaiser, the County has not seen the need to declare a state of emergency at this point.
“The main reason to declare a State of Local Emergency at this time is to give the municipal government the authority to control certain business and social activities within its jurisdiction,” he said. “Our restaurants, shopping centres and other businesses are on top of this issue and behaving in a very responsible manner.”
The municipality is also abiding by the rules set by the provincial and federal governments that cover social aspects, such as the number of people that can gather in one place, he said.
With a state of emergency declared provincially, Boehlke said it would be redundant for the municipality to declare a state of emergency as well, and RVC will adhere to the rules imposed by the province.
“I think, in light of what we’re seeing with how this is unfolding – we seem to be getting more cases of the virus every day in the country and around the world – I really think it’s going to be a time where we just are in the same boat as everybody else,” Boehlke said. “We just have to try to slow things down as much as we can.”
Boehlke said he and Hoggan have discussed the possible need for some type of economic relief for individuals and businesses at the municipal level. The challenge, he said, is that taxation is the sole source of income for the municipality, which is required to keep the County functioning.
“I wouldn’t rule anything out, one way or the other,” he said.
RVC is “lucky,” he added, that one of the County’s main economic sectors has not been significantly impacted so far.
“A lot of the bigger businesses that we have, at least, are logistics, and we know that so far, the border’s not closed for, say food distribution and what not,” Boehlke said. “Hopefully, those businesses can keep going.”
According to Kaiser, County staff are monitoring aid packages outlined by the provincial and federal governments, and will provide information and assistance where possible to County residents and businesses to help them access those programs and funds, once details are released.
As the situation relating to the virus continues to develop, rockyview.ca and the County’s social media pages will be updated frequently, Kaiser said, and residents are encouraged to check those sources for the latest information.
“The best thing I could say is keep your ear to the ground [and] stay calm,” Boehlke said. “I know this is a very stressful time, and I think the one thing I would say more than anything is, realize that no one particular person is in this on their own. We’re all in this, and none of us know how this is going to turn out.”
COVID UPDATE: Follow our COVID-19 special section for the latest local and national COVID-19 news, resources, FAQs and more.
Ben Sherick, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @BenSherick
