This is NOT our Emergency

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

Editor's Note -- Column by Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson.  He can be reached by email here

I chose the title of this update deliberately, risking the possibility of some ‘what the heck’ reactions as I need to clarify a very crucial point about the current state of emergency that is causing some confusion and some very unrealistic expectations of City Council and City staff. The declaration of a state of emergency (SOE) is never made lightly. These declarations should only ever be made when a government (First Nation, local, regional, provincial, or federal) needs to take extraordinary and temporary measures to address an immediate crisis that threatens the safety and security of its citizens. It should be noted that during this current crisis the Federal Government has not yet made the declaration for the whole country, and not all Provinces or Territories have done so either. When a government declares a state of emergency the temporary nature of that declaration is defined in law. In BC, a state of emergency automatically expires in 14 days and must be renewed by the Provincial Cabinet, again only for another 14 days. This is to prevent any government from using the unilateral powers it obtains under an SOE, which are considerable, indefinitely. Local government SOEs automatically expire in 7 days and can be renewed, but only with permission of the provincial government. It is also important to note that a local SOE can only be applied to the geographic area that the local government has legal jurisdiction over and no more. The provincial government has the latitude to declare an SOE for certain parts of the province or the entire province but cannot extend their SOE beyond the provincial boundaries. The province can also cancel the SOEs of local governments. Most states of emergency, and particularly local SOEs, are declared due to natural or man-made disasters or events that are clearly putting the public in imminent danger: fires, floods, large scale explosions, major chemical spills or gas leaks – that is, tangible physical threats to life, limb, and property. All this background information is to make this crucial point: the current state of emergency we are under is of a different kind and scale than anything we’ve ever experienced, it is a provincial public health emergency to deal with an unseen virus rather than a self-evident physical threat like a wildfire or a flood. The lead agency for this public health emergency is the Province, and in particular its public health authorities, not local government. As a result, the City is playing a supporting role in this emergency, unlike the lead role we can and often do have in local SOEs during wildfires or floods. This means that the City does not always have the authority people believe we ought to have or the information people demand we provide to them. For example, we do not know where the confirmed COVID cases are in our region; we do not decide what businesses are or are not essential; we do not determine who can or cannot travel into and out of our community; and we do not decide what information will be shared with the public and what will be withheld. As a Council, we’re taking our supporting role very seriously and we’re working on multiple fronts to get our community through this unprecedented global pandemic while assisting the province and health authorities to limit the spread of the virus. But it is NOT our emergency. So, when Council members or City staff say you need to speak with the Province or the Health Authority, we’re not passing the buck, we’re directing you to the authoritative agencies who are the only ones who can answer your questions or address your concerns. For updated information about what we’re doing and links to the most authoritative information sources about this pandemic, visit the City’s website at www.quesnel.ca/covid-19. You can also sign up for email notifications at www.quesnel.ca/subscribe.