ST. PAUL - Director of Protective Services Trevor Kotowich spoke to Town of St. Paul council on Dec .14, reviewing how his department would be dealing with the mandatory restrictions in place to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The restrictions are meant to be in place for four weeks, which means they will be in place until Jan. 12, at least.
Effective Dec. 8, all indoor and outdoor social gatherings are prohibited. This will be enforced with $1,000 fines, according to the Government of Alberta. Masks are now mandatory in all indoor public spaces and workplaces, as of Dec. 8.
"Effective Dec. 13, working from home is mandatory when physical presence is not required," according to the provincial government.
The province has allowed for Community Peace Officers (CPOs) to enforce the measures. Kotowich noted that even prior to the Dec. 8 announcement, CPOs had a discretionary role.
Overall, the approach will be to educate, warn, then enforce, said Kotowich. No additional resources have been hired by the Town of St. Paul to deal with enforcement.
Kotowich further explained that it is entirely complaint driven and staff are not out looking for issues. Any issues that exist need to go through the complaint line.
Staff are also required to report weekly about any complaints that are received.
Kotowich stated that if there is a blatant disregard for the mandatory measures that are in place, people are asked to reach out.
"That's how we're going to handle these complaints," said Kotowich.
E-ticketing
Changes are just around the corner, as the province takes steps to divert a number of traffic tickets out of the court system.
During the Dec. 14 council meeting, Kotowich offered council some information about the eTicketing system that is going to come into effect in 2021.
SafeRoads Alberta has been created to deal with a number of traffic tickets. Increased use of technology will also change how tickets are delivered to motorists.
Kotowich said the change is estimated to take about two million tickets out of the court system.
There will, however, be some financial costs to the improved systems and the equipment that will be required. The new system could be in place by October of 2021.
According to a bulletin from the Government of Alberta addressed to employers and peace officers, dated Aug. 24, 2020, the changes will "usher in new online systems for the issuance and resolution of these matters designed to save law enforcement time, avoid errors, and keep officers on the street where they are needed."
The changes "will free additional court time for the most serious criminal matters, ensuring law enforcement can spend tens of thousands of additional hours on the street and less waiting for minor trials that often resolve without requiring their participation," according to the bulletin.
