Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the city is in a local state of emergency as of Wednesday afternoon, one day after the Alberta government announced new restrictions as COVID-19 cases soar. The declaration of a state of emergency doesn't mean any new restrictions are being imposed by the city itself, Nenshi said at an afternoon news conference with Tom Sampson, chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA). The mayor said declaring a state of emergency allows the city to move quickly to procure supplies, deal with vulnerable Calgarians and access funds from other levels of government, among other measures. When asked whether the Calgary Police Service would intervene in the case of a large anti-mask rally, the mayor said yes. The Alberta government has resisted calls for more stringent measures, including circuit-breaker lockdowns that have been recommended by doctors as well as by Tom Sampson, chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA).

Source: CBC News November 25, 2020 18:51 UTC