Thread by @Tommy_Slick

On the line waiting for the start of a press conference with CEMA Chief Tom Sampson and CPS Supt. Ryan Ayliffe. They will discuss the local COVID-19 response and likely respond to many questions centring around Saturday's anti-mask protest. Follow this thread for details. #yyc

We are now getting underway after a delay to start things off.

Sampson is first to speak (reminder this is the last day before his retirement, which officially starts in just over an hour). He wants to talk about the shift from educating people about the mask bylaw, to enforcing it.

With an alarming rise in COVID-19 numbers, Sampson says they cannot go easy on this anymore. Bylaw for Calgary has been in effect since Aug. 1.

Sampson says they received the most recent enforcement order on Saturday and have now completed examining it. He says it takes time for them to determine how exactly to enforce these rules.

Sampson says they are still working with the province to expand enforcement opportunities. The chief bylaw officer is also here today along with the CPS superintendent.

Chief Bylaw Officer Ryan Pleckaitis now speaking. Says they are still working with the province to expand enforcement powers for bylaw officers. Peace officers will be focusing on enforcement and "strict compliance" with the health orders.

Here is CPS Supt. Ryan Ayliffe. He says they have issued "countless" warning in past months. But we are now at a "critical point" and "a time for education has passed". Flagrant violators will be ticketed.

But during a protest for example, it may not be the right time to issue a ticket. Ayliffe promises they will issue tickets afterwards. Don't be too concerned if you see a lack of enforcement at the time of the event.

Getting into questions. From @KevinCTV, how many people were ticketed after the anti-mask rallies?

Ayliffe says they gathered a lot of evidence during the protests so they can identify people. Charges may be laid today.

Kevin also wants numbers from bylaw, and can you quantify a broad picture of what sort of ticket numbers we're looking at?

Ayliffe says it's not hundreds, and they don't have an accurate number. They will mainly be focusing on ticketing the organizers of the events.

.@AdamMacVicar asks about the message moving ahead after all the concern expressed as a result of the protest.

Sampson says the public largely knows what the right behaviour is. Now, there's clarity on what the provincial orders are including the fine structure.

People should expect to get ticketed if they are flagrantly violating the law, but again even if a ticket isn't issued at such an event it doesn't mean they will not get one soon after.

From @BillKaufmannjrn, on provincial comments about not enforcing wider mask mandates and does this hurt the local message?

No confusion, but there's a reminder that you can't gather in groups of more than ten.

But does the messaging encourage these assemblies?

In short, no, says the city reps.

.@CTV_TysonFedor on calls for bylaw officers to have more powers, and why they didn't have a presence at the rally?

Pleckaitis says they did have officers at the protest, but they are working on issuing tickets now after the event.

Followup from Tyson, on other rallies such as at BLM protests this summer, was there any enforcement back then?

Ayliffe says they did issue some summonses, but this weekend was a demarcation away from education, and moving into enforcement territory.

Back to @AdamMacVicar, since the health order was issued last week, any updated ticket numbers?

Ayliffe says they definitely have issued tickets, but they don't know the number right now.

End of questions. Sampson closing it off by underscoring that authorities are working on enforcing these rules, and also you shouldn't need someone in a uniform telling you to comply at this point. Looks forward to the province considering giving more peace officers the powers.

And that's all folks!