Taking the bus? Wear a mask

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/08/2020 (2044 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A COMMON refrain around city hall is that Winnipeg is often the last city to adopt new ideas — the joke being that we’d rather wait for other municipalities to work out the bugs before moving forward.

Unfortunately, this bit of folklore has been proven true once again, as Winnipeg is now the largest city in Canada without a requirement for non-medical masks when boarding public transit.

Across Canada, cities such as Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa have shown leadership by mandating the use of non-medical masks on public transit. Many will remember that public transit ridership was hit hard by COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic, but as our economy reopened ridership began to increase, and will continue to do so as our seasons change and it becomes more difficult to walk or cycle outdoors.

We have even seen major retailers such as Walmart and Superstore recognizing the value of mandatory masks. These large corporations have demonstrated greater action in favour of our public health than our own city council has for the riders of public transit.

The importance of masks for public transit cannot be understated as transit moves thousands of front-line workers across our city, each and every day. Early in this pandemic, we saw a consensus emerge, recognizing the inherent value of front-line workers as they kept supply chains moving and our grocery shelves stocked.

We saw clear societal recognition for the valuable role these workers play. Now, as we prepare for a potential second wave of COVID-19, the onus has shifted to our city council to mandate masks and protect these workers, transit operators and students who utilize transit on a daily basis.

Previously, the City of Winnipeg indicated it was waiting for direction from the provincial government’s public-health officials regarding masks on public transit. Certainly, the requirement of masks for certain students on school buses and in Manitoba’s schools is a step in the right direction, especially when social distancing may be difficult.

However, the reality is the city never needed direction from the province in order to show leadership on this issue, because its own bylaws for public transit could have allowed council to mandate it.

The Public Transit By-Law and Code of Conduct is a bylaw, passed by Winnipeg city council, that spells out the rules and regulations for riders of Winnipeg Transit (winnipegtransit.com/en/rider-guide/public-transit-by-law-and-code-of-conduct). It sets a reasonable standard that riders will not consume alcohol or drugs on transit, and prohibits weapons and obstructive behaviour.

A quick change to the bylaw would allow Winnipeg Transit to mandate masks for riders, which could be achieved by recalling city council for an emergency meeting to address this issue before students head back to school.

Opponents of mandatory masks will point to the issues regarding enforcement, and rightly so — fare enforcement continues to be a contentious issue on Winnipeg Transit, creating disputes that often lead to assaults on transit workers. However, while we can’t expect 100 per cent adherence to mandatory masks on buses, we can draw on the experiences in other cities that saw an increased number of riders wearing masks after their use was mandated.

While Winnipeg Transit operators should not be expected to refuse service to those without masks, strong messaging and public pressure should have the desired effect in increasing usage and reducing the spread of COVID-19.

Currently, Winnipeg Transit only recommends that riders wear masks, and multiple riders have pointed out that the adherence rate is quite variable without a mandatory policy in place. When mask usage is merely a recommendation, many treat this as a suggestion and not a rule. When masks are mandatory, mask usage surges across the board.

Mayor Brian Bowman now finds himself in a position to show leadership, albeit delayed, by following the lead of almost every other Canadian city. North Kildonan Coun. Jeff Browaty has already taken to the streets calling for mandatory masks and spent an afternoon handing them out to riders on Main Street.

As winter approaches, more Winnipeggers will come to need Winnipeg Transit once again. It is incumbent on our civic leadership to take a stand with a proven policy that has the potential to protect thousands in our city.

The time has come for the city to stop waiting on the provincial government for direction on this urgent issue. We shouldn’t have to wait until it’s too late and we have an outbreak on our hands, to create policy on the fly. For the good of our city, our Winnipeg Transit workers and our students who rely on public transit, it is time for Winnipeg city council to convene and pass a mandatory mask policy at the earliest possible opportunity.

Zach Fleisher is a consultant, partner and father in Winnipeg. He is the former communications director for the Amalgamated Transit Union 1505, representing Winnipeg Transit workers.