On Thursday, March 26, the Province requested that all communities in British Columbia open their Emergency Operation Centres in relation to the COVID-19 response being coordinated by all levels of government.
As a result, Tumbler Ridge has now opened its Emergency Operation Centre at a level one. This will see the District continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to the public as we have been doing. This activation is not due to any change in the circumstances in Tumbler Ridge and we will continue to monitor the situation and share information with the public as it becomes available.
The District has been ready to activate the Emergency Operation Centre, but held off on doing so until now, says CAO Jordan Wall, to avoid creating any undo sense of panic. He says the District has been keeping lines of communications open for the last few weeks with the ministries and agencies.
A Level One Emergency Operations Centre is generally activated on the potential threat of a natural disaster, like flood or fire.
The Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Mike Farnsworth used the extraordinary powers available to him under a state of provincial emergency to keep British Columbians safe, maintain essential goods and services, and support the Province’s ongoing response to novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
“B.C. is in a strong position to effectively respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Farnworth. “Informed by the direction of the provincial health officer, we’re taking these critical steps to keep our communities safe, goods moving and essential service workers supported.”
In addition to mandating that all municipalities open their Emergency Operations Centre, the Minister issued a series of ministerial orders, “to ensure a co-ordinated response to COVID-19 across all levels of government for the duration of the provincial emergency.”
These include establishing a new Provincial Supply Chain Coordination Unit to co-ordinate goods and services distribution. This allows the province to take a more active role in co-ordinating essential goods and services movement by land, air, marine and rail, and suspending any bylaws that restrict goods delivery at any time of day.
He also banned people buying out supplies such as food, medical supplies, personal protective equipment, cleaning and other essential supplies then reselling it. He also put in place rules restricting quantities of certain items purchased at point of sale.
Our municipal bylaw officer now has the power to support enforcement of the provincial health officer’s orders for business closures and gatherings, in line with offences under the Public Health Act. This includes the power to fine people up to $25,000 or even tossed into jail.
There are also new rules, making it easier to support critical services for vulnerable people, like food banks and shelters.
The province has also suspending local states of emergency specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, except for the City of Vancouver. This order over-rides the states of Emergency that were declared in many places across the province, including Delta, Prince Rupert and Fort St. John.
The new order gives municipal councils the ability to hold more flexible meetings to expedite decisions and co-ordinating potential use of local publicly owned facilities, like community centres, for self-isolation, testing, medical care, warehousing and distribution.
Premier John Horgan said the province did this to stop the “patchwork” of rules. A “uniform approach,” He says, is needed at this point to reduce panic and inspire confidence that the system is working.
These are unprecedented steps, says Farnsworth, but they are being made based on the recommendation of B.C.’s health and emergency management officials.
This is the first time these measures have been invoked under a provincial state of emergency. “Many local governments, First Nations and partners have stepped up to make sure they have prepared to protect their communities from the impacts of COVID-19,” says Farnsworth. “Today’s measures will make sure communities are taking necessary steps, in co-ordination with the Province, to get ready should more action be required to combat COVID-19.”
Some businesses—like hairdressers and tattoo parlours—have been ordered to close. Any business or service that has not been ordered to close, and is also not identified on the essential service list, may stay open if it can adapt its services and workplace to the orders and recommendations of the Public Health Officer, says Farnsworth.
“In these new and challenging times we are facing, we’re asking British Columbians to stay strong as a community, and together we can get through this,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “I’m proud of the strategic measures we have enacted government-wide to help our families and health-care workers, to keep them safe and supported. By issuing a series of ministerial orders, we recognize that this is not forever, but it is for now. With everyone stepping in and respecting the extraordinary means we have to take, we will overcome this.”
