'Not currently a public place': Mask bylaw applies throughout Ottawa, but not on Parliament Hill

OTTAWA – Public health officials are making masks mandatory in public places across the country, including Ottawa, but on Parliament Hill they remain just a suggestion.

Earlier this month, the City of Ottawa passed a sweeping bylaw, making masks mandatory in public places including malls, restaurants, city facilities and hotel lobbies. But the bylaw doesn’t apply to Parliament Hill.

There are also bylaws in place in most major Canadian cities and in small communities as well.

Heather Bradley, director of communications for the Speaker of the House of Commons, said with no tours operating Parliament is not currently a public place.

“The House of Commons is currently closed to the public and therefore not considered a public space at this time,” she said in an email.

Parliament’s Centre Block has wide hallways and large open spaces, but the temporary House of Commons has more narrow passages that would prevent two people passing each other and keeping two-metres separation.

Bradley said the House of Commons is encouraging everyone to use masks when physical distancing isn’t possible and has made them available to staff.

“Members and their staff have been encouraged to consider using a non-medical mask as an additional preventative measure when physical distancing is not possible,” she said.

The House of Commons has also stepped up cleaning measures, has installed plexiglass to act as a barrier in some places and has hand-sanitizer stations spread throughout the building.

· More Americans than Canadians say wearing a mask in public should be mandatory, poll states
· Are anti-maskers the new anti-vaxxers? How a piece of cloth in the pandemic became so politicized

The mask bylaw isn’t the only Ottawa bylaw that doesn’t apply on Parliament’s grounds. From a legal perspective, the precinct sets its own rules, like the Vatican in the heart of Rome. The rules also don’t extend into the Senate’s building down the street.

Masks are being worn regularly on Parliament Hill when MPs and staff are walking through the halls, but they remain optional and not everyone is wearing them.

Both Ontario’s provincial laws and Ottawa’s municipal regulations don’t apply inside Parliament’s walls.

Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa’s chief public health officer, wasn’t available for an interview, but Ottawa public health sent a statement confirming they don’t have any authority over the parliamentary precinct.

Ottawa’s bylaw will be in force until at least August and entering a public space without a mask carries a $200 fine, though the city has said it plans to focus more on enforcement than on penalties.

The ban doesn’t apply in small offices, like lawyers and accountants where the public is not expected to visit.

When the ban was introduced Etches said in a statement that masks can reduce the spread of the virus.

“Evidence continues to build that masks are an additional layer of protection when there is community transmission of the virus, including from asymptomatic people,” she said.

Ottawa has seen a rising number of cases in the last week. New cases had dwindled into the single digits, but those numbers have begun to creep back up. This past week has seen cases mostly in the low 20s but the number on Wednesday was 13 new cases.

• Email: rtumilty@postmedia.com | Twitter: ryantumilty