Town of Innisfail councillor Glen Carritt does not want anyone telling him to wear a mask. With hundreds of Alberta physicians pleading with the Kenney government to legislate mandatory mask use, Mr. Carritt has taken a stand against mandated mask regulations.
He contends that it is a human rights issue.
I want to openly say that I do not know Mr. Glen Carritt and we have never had a conversation. I do know that he is one of my Innisfail councillors and I have been exposed to his views through media coverage of local political issues.
Mr. Carritt has a history of doing things his way. Some will remember him ignoring a vehicle height limitation notice, and trying to drive a fire truck under an Edmonton bridge clearance bar that, as it turned out, was not quite as high as his big truck. The subsequent traffic jam and 30-minute horn-honking session was a leading story on the Edmonton CTV evening news.
He has boasted about how his family, back in the Pierre Trudeau era, refused to convert their fuel pumps from imperial to metric. An impressive protest some might say, but hey, let’s face it, we can hardly compare that to the life and death context associated with mask wearing during a deadly pandemic.
Mr. Carritt says that refusing to wear a mask is a matter of principle, and as he has stressed, for him it really comes down to the defense of his basic human rights.
However, in the Nov. 24 edition of The Albertan, Mr. Carritt said, “I wear a mask when I go to the Foothills to visit a friend but I believe it is everybody’s choice to make whether they wear a mask or not…” Does he stop to consider why the Foothills has a mask rule? The medical world has a history of being concerned with health - not just Mr. Carritt’s health, but the health of those he might breathe on.
Concern for public health is also why, while driving to and from the Foothills, Mr. Carritt was subject to a mandatory speed limit… a safety belt regulation… and a law against being intoxicated while driving. While these regulations were established to help protect individuals such as Mr. Carritt, more importantly, they also protect the patients, the health-care workers, other visitors, fellow motorists, pedestrians, his family members, and his neighbours, from the potential harm associated with his actions.
Well, so much for Mr. Carritt’s defense of his libertarian principles. If wearing a mask in Innisfail is so offensive to Mr. Carritt, why would he not stick to his principles while at the Foothills?
It appears to me that Mr. Carritt is a bit of a ‘grandstander’ type. He seems to be going out of his way to say “Look at me, I’m a man of principle!” Except, of course, when he’s in Calgary at the Foothills, where apparently, he is not willing to stand up for his principles.
When it comes to doing the right thing and sticking up for principles and your human rights, where does one draw that line in the sand? Is it on Mr. Carritt’s drive north from Calgary to Innisfail on Highway 2, perhaps somewhere near Didsbury, possibly south of Bowden, or maybe by the RCMP dog training facility, that he decides that he will once again be the guy who will not wear a mask?
I am wondering at what point does one, especially one who is experiencing a pandemic, say, ‘OK, I will follow the science, listen to the physicians, and obey the obviously beneficial safety protocols’?
Is it really fair for an influential, but seemingly, a self-centred, self-promoting individual, in the midst of a pandemic, to decide not to do something that has been determined by scientists and physicians to help reduce the negative impacts of the pandemic, specifically by limiting the spread of the virus?
Who doesn’t know that physical distancing, hand washing and mask use have become the key components in the basic fight against COVID-19?
Currently, in all of Canada, Alberta is the second most dangerous province. In the next few weeks, those who are listening to the science are saying that, because of our lack of basic preventative measures such as wearing masks, the Alberta health-care system may soon be totally overwhelmed.
Why would anyone, including – but especially a councillor such as Mr. Glen Carritt - not want to do everything possible to reduce the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus, especially if he espouses being a community leader?
Although I did see Mr. Carritt proclaiming his rights on the Calgary CTV news Nov. 25, the main motivation for me writing this letter is an advertisement I read in The Albertan written by Mr. Glen Carritt a couple of weeks ago.
He was letting everyone know that he would like to become the new mayor of Innisfail, my mayor.
He stressed how he thought this town needs to be run like a business. I have enormous respect for those who are ethical business people. We have business owners in Alberta right now who have taken the initiative to close down so they can protect their neighbours because the government seems to have left it up to them to do so.
We are presently in the death grip of an invisible killer. The scientists tell us that we should wear a mask. How ethical is it for Innisfail town councillor Glen Carritt to promote the idea that it’s OK that people not wear masks during this deadly pandemic? Leadership comes in many forms. Imagine if the Glen Carritts of the world were in charge of all decisions related to the promotion of public health and safety.
In a world where we hope ethical and compassionate behaviour prevails, I think we should take this time to consider the fundamentals of compassion and decency.
Please, at the very least, wear a mask to help save lives in our community, help save the lives of those who own businesses, and those who depend on businesses, and help save the lives of all of those people we call our neighbours.
If educated physicians from all over the world and even those bold administrators at the Foothills, are asking that you wear a mask, why wouldn’t you?
Bruce Madore,
Innisfail
