Mayor trying again to convince county to make masks mandatory

Cathy Dobson Mayor Mike Bradley filed a notice of reconsideration Tuesday to take the issue of mandatory masks back to Lambton County council.

Cathy Dobson

Mayor Mike Bradley filed a notice of reconsideration Tuesday to take the issue of mandatory masks back to Lambton County council.

Bradley has already made two unsuccessful attempts to convince the county’s politicians that mask wearing should be required in closed spaces where physical distancing might not be possible.

The City of Sarnia and the Town of Petrolia are the only two of 11 municipalities in Lambton that currently mandate masks.

On Monday, neighbouring Chatham-Kent opted for mandatory masks, leaving Lambton County the only region in Ontario without a mandatory masking bylaw, according to Mayor Bradley.

His notice of reconsideration won’t be discussed by county politicians until their next meeting on Sept. 2.

Bradley’s first attempt at county council was July 8 when his proposed mask bylaw received only 4 of 13 votes. Under the weighted vote system, the motion was defeated 25 – 12.

While the majority of county councillors weren’t in favour of mandatory mask wearing, they did support a motion to “encourage” mask wearing in indoor public places.

In late July, Bradley polled county council to see if there was interest in a special meeting to reconsider that decision.

Only Petrolia Mayor Brad Loosley said he was in favour at that time.

This week, Petrolia council voted to implement a mandatory mask bylaw that comes into effect Friday.

Before voting on it, Petrolia council surveyed 2,200 residents and found that 51% were in favour of mandatory masks in indoor public spaces.

Sarnia’s mandatory mask bylaw has been in place since July 31.

On Tuesday, Sarnia Coun. Brian White said he believes Sarnians are adapting well to indoor mask use.

“So far, so good in my opinion,” he said during a Zoom meeting with the Golden K Kiwanis Club.

“Obviously there are a lot of people that aren’t happy about (it), but I would say…90-95% of the feedback I receive has been positive.

“I’m seeing almost 100% compliance everywhere I go,” White said.