Burlington mayor says council will discuss ending mask mandate on March 22

The mayor of Burlington says wearing a mask in certain public settings may no longer be required in the city next week.

City council members are expected to meet on March 22 to discuss ending the mask bylaw that has been in effect since July 2020. This scheduled meeting will come one day after the Ontario government lifts its mask mandate on March 21.

As of March 21, masks will not be required in schools and child-care settings. Ontarians will still have to wear masks in certain high-risk settings like public transit, long-term care, retirement homes, other congregate settings and health-care settings.

The province said individual regions are still able to enforce their own mask policies, though.

“The city of Burlington’s mask bylaw is set to expire automatically on June 30, 2022 or within five days after the province lifts its mask mandate, unless council votes to extend or revoke it sooner,” Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said in a statement. 

“Even after the province lifts its mask mandate on March 21 in most settings, there is still this mask bylaw and the regional mask bylaw that need to be addressed.”

Meed Ward said Halton Regional Council plans to discuss a staff recommendation to drop its mask mandate on March 23.

If approved, people will not have to wear a mask in certain settings in Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills.

Since the province made the announcement on March 9 to end the mask mandate, Meed Ward said Burlington residents are questioning the timing of when the city is deciding to lift it.

“Many have voiced concerns with lifting the mask bylaw too early, many others are also wanting the mask bylaw to be lifted sooner,” she said.

“Burlington city council and the City of Burlington Emergency Control Group value the extra week and a half from when the province announced the removal of its mask mandates in most settings, to see where the health indicators are, especially after the March Break, before making a final decision.”

Burlington council members will also discuss whether to lift the city’s state of emergency declaration that has been in effect since March 21, 2020.