Councillor leaves city meeting over concerns of COVID-19

Transcona councillor Shawn Nason abruptly left the city's innovation and economic development meeting Monday morning citing concerns about spreading the Covid 19 virus.

"I heard a lot coughing from the gallery directly behind me... I heard coughing and nose-wiping on the public gallery side. I just don't want to be in that situation," Nason said a few minutes after walking out of the meeting.

Nason saiddespite some precautions being taken in the buildingto counter the spread of the virus, it's not enough for his comfort.

Notices have been placed on chairs in the council chamber telling delegationsnot to sittoo close to each other. There are also warnings posted telling visitors who feel sick not to enter building.

Last Saturday, Mayor Brian Bowman announced the city would roll two weeks of meetings and deliberationsinto this week and hold a council meeting on the budget on Friday.

• City council to vote on budget five days earlier than scheduled

With uncertainty over the spread of Covid-19, Nason says the budget meetings should be postponed.

"I asked the mayor to suspend this. Iasked the mayor to talk to the Premier to see if this show can be put off. He's decided to double down this week," Nasonsaid.

Referring to budget battles at the Legislature last week, Nasonsaid the situation at city hall is about health, not politics.

• Opposition NDP delays release of Manitoba's budget for a 2nd day

"I don't want to be like Wab [Kinew, NDP leader] and what's happened at the province level. This is strange times and I think this is an opportunity to work together," Nason told reporters.

Nason's concerns were echoed by councillor Kevin Klein, but more for democratic reasons than health concerns.

The representative forCharleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood told reporters "it would be prudent" of the mayor to ask Premier Brian Pallister for a four week delay.

Klein saidhe has data that would throw into doubt the city's numbers on cancelling the UPassbus pass program for post-secondary students, but those submissions won't get proper attention in an abbreviated time frame with coronavirus concerns looming over the world.

"It's the right thing to do not having people gather for meetings and I think from a democratic perspective we have to delay this budget," Klein said.

Gord Delbridge, the president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, local 500, was at Monday's committee meeting and told reporters after he made his submission he wasn't comfortable with continuing through with submissions this week.

His concerns were later echoed in a press releaseby two other unions who have workers with the city.

"Pushing through an austerity budget in the middle of a health pandemic without full public consultation is wrong," said Delbridge.

"How can members of the public understand the impact of the budget when they cannot, and should not, be attending public meetings because of COVID-19?" saidRichard Mah, President of the Winnipeg Association of Public Service Officers in the same release.

Councillor John Orlikow, who chaired the meeting Nason left, said"everybody has a right to leave," and offered Nason the chance to email questions about the presentations he would miss.

Orlikow acknowledged the significant health concerns surrounding the virus, but declined comment on whether it was wise cancelling the week's meetings, deferring to mayor Bowman.

A spokesperson for Bowman told CBC News the mayor would not be available to comment on Monday.

WATCH | Sean Kavanagh's report from City Hall:

Councillor leaves city meeting

5 years ago

Duration 2:24

Transcona councillor Shawn Nason abruptly left the city's innovation and economic development meeting Monday morning citing concerns about spreading the Covid 19 virus.