The province recently enacted the Emergency Program Act which allows the provincial government to retain central decision-making authority during a crisis..Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth declared a provincial state of emergency on March 18, 2020, just one day after the provincial health officer declared a public health emergency on March 17..“These unprecedented steps, made based on the recommendation of B.C.’s health and emergency management officials, and invoked for the first time under a provincial state of emergency, will support the provincial health officer and minister of heath in a co-ordinated cross-government approach to COVID-19 response and recovery,” stated a press release on behalf of Minister Farnworth..These steps include:.Suspending local states of emergency – excepting of the City of Vancouver – enabling municipal councils the “ability to hold more flexible meetings to expedite decisions,” and co-ordinating availability and use of local publicly-owned buildings if required to respond to changing needs and priorities during the pandemicEstablishing a Provincial Supply Chain Coordination Unit to co-ordinate goods and services distributionBanning the secondary resale of food, medical supplies, cleaning supplies and others as well as limiting the quantities that may be purchased at one timeEnabling municipal bylaw officers to support enforcement of the provincial health officer’s ordersEnsuring all passenger services provide minimum service standards and priority access to residentsMaking it easier to support critical services for vulnerable people.B.C. Premier John Horgan said that in an effort to stop the spread of the virus, additional measures were necessary to protect supply chains and ensure uninterrupted essential services..“This is not a drill – this is a pandemic,” Horgan said during a news briefing Thursday morning..“The restrictions are not guidelines – they are the law.”.Horgan’s words echo those of Prime Minister Trudeau who gave his “enough is enough” speech on Monday and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney followed with his own Monday afternoon..Kenney also stated earlier this week that his government would amend the current legislation in Alberta to allow for more than one state of emergency at one time. Kenney said the people on the ground in their communities can make better decisions for their constituents that the province in some cases..Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean is a Senior Reporter with Western Standard.dmaclean@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter @Mitchell_AB
