Barrington Will Not Defy Province’s Proof Of Vaccine Plan

The Municipality of Barrington will not defy the province’s proof of vaccination plan.

A staff recommendation to comply with the provincial mandate passed unanimously in front of a large crowd at a Special Council meeting last night at the Barrington Lions Club.

At council’s regular meeting on Monday, Warden Eddie Nickerson suggested those in the municipality that disagreed with the plan could ‘break the law,’ and not abide.

He says that was inappropriate, and offered a formal apology last night.

“When you do something, you take the responsibility for it. I felt an apology was in order. I shouldn’t be encouraging people to break laws. It’s something I shouldn’t have said, and again, I apologize for it,” says Nickerson.

Over 100 people attended last night’s meeting, many walking out in disgust when the motion was passed.

This after some community members spoke, urging the municipality to do what they could to stand up to the province.

Council sought legal advice from their solicitor, and found out that staff could face thousands of dollars in fines and charges under the Health Protection Act if they violate the proof of vaccination plan.

Nickerson says he doesn’t agree with the plan, but he’s not putting staff in jeopardy.

“I’m all for people having choices. I think we had a platform for people to exercise their right to oppose, their right to voice their opinion, and their right to choose. However, it’s simply too much of a risk to staff. I won’t put staff or municipal tax dollars at risk. I hope everyone can respect that, as we all have to live in this municipality together.”

Much of the talk on Monday surrounded enforcement of plan at the Sandy Wickens Memorial Arena in Barrington, as Nickerson said the province should be responsible for that. On that night, he suggested closing the arena as a potential option.

Crowd members last night said they didn’t want to see the arena close, but many were against showing proof of vaccination.

Nickerson and council stated last night that closing the arena would hurt the entire municipality.

“I’m not happy that registration in hockey is down and that some children are missing out. I just want to understand why the vaccine plan is needed. I’m no doctor or health professional. I feel so much for our children that a vaccine passport is a punishment on children’s extra curricular activities. If I could get the Premier’s ear to relax the rule around the extra-curriculars, that would be my goal.”

He says he would support a community petition against the plan to Premier Tim Houston and Dr. Robert Strang.