Masks Required

Banff Town Council has passed a bylaw making it mandatory for people to wear masks or face coverings:

• in enclosed public spaces in the Town of Banff, such as shops, cafés, restaurants, hotel common  areas and other publicly accessible facilities, and
  
  
• in the outside space in Banff’s downtown pedestrian zone.

The temporary bylaw came into effect at noon on Friday, July 31, 2020.

The bylaw follows the approach implemented in several other Alberta municipalities for interior spaces open to the public. Banff also requires masks or face coverings to be worn in the downtown pedestrian zone, which was created by closing our main street to vehicles to give pedestrians more space to social distance. This change increased pedestrian space from 5,000 square-metres of sidewalk to more than 12,500 square-metres, and accounts for the space used by businesses and tents to provide more safe space for customers.

There are a range of exemptions, including:

• children under two years of age, or a child who is under five (chronologically or developmentally) who refuses to wear a mask and cannot be persuaded to do so by their caregiver
  
  
• people who cannot wear a mask for underlying medical reasons or disability which inhibits their ability to wear a face covering.
  
  
• people who needs to temporarily remove their mask, provided they are able to maintain a distance of at least 2 metres from anyone  not members of the  same household or cohort, for the purposes of consuming food or drink. Wear the mask when entering, leaving and moving around the establishment.

Wearing a mask or face-covering does not replace the need to maintain a 2 metre/6 feet distance from others, and practice regular hand washing and sanitizing. 

Council will review the bylaw and its effectiveness in every subsequent Council meeting this summer and fall, and may make adjustments, as needed.

Businesses and other publicly accessible enclosures are required to post a sign or poster in their entrances identifying the requirement to wear a mask or face covering. Businesses can download a poster/sign from banff.ca/COVIDmasks.

The bylaw, full exemptions and updated Frequently Asked Questions are available at banff.ca/COVIDmasks.

Farmers Market Safety

Safely visit the Farmers Market in Central Park every Wednesday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. by wearing a mask and keep a 2-metre physical distance from other patrons.  For more information, including reservation times and a list of vendors, visit thebanfffarmersmarket.com.

Housing Survey

Take our survey on the Banff Avenue Affordable Housing Development at banffviewpoints.ca.

Town council will be determining the timeline for the price-restricted home ownership project in late summer. Due to the COVID pandemic we are reaching out online to potential home buyers to determine interest in the development.

At present, the project is slated for completion in the Spring of 2022. The survey closes August 21.

Meetings

Governance and Finance Committee: August 10 at 9 a.m.
Council: August 10 at 2 p.m.

Visit banff.ca/agendacenter or subscribe to 
meeting agendas at banff.ca/notify. View the live meeting at banff.ca/live.