Terrace stays the course with the Province of BC on COVID-19 response

Terrace Mayor Carol Leclerc addressed residents of the Skeena Valley city on Tuesday, providing for a video that updated the community on the measures that the city has taken in response to the COVID-19 situation, noting that at this time, the City is following the guidance of the Province of British Columbia to work towards a coordinated response.

As a result, Mayor Leclerc in a measured and reassuring address, advised her community that they would not be moving towards a declaration of a Local State of Emergency at this time.

"Council is here for you, the 'city of Terrace is doing everything we can to support the State of Provincial Emergency Declaration, we have been participating in regular conference calls with the province, which is providing for the mayors and CAO's with guidance on how best to respond to the many different aspects of this pandemic. The City of Terrace is not considering declaring a State of Local Emergency at this time. The declaration by the Province with the state of emergency that has been put in place by the Province is meeting the city's needs and Council supports the province's request for a coordinated response" -- Terrace Mayor Carol Leclerc

The Terrace Mayor also noted that the City had cancelled their most recent Council session, but added that Council would still be listening to community concerns discussing the issues and making decisions that affect their community.

"As I'm sure you know, this situation must be taken on the day to day, as we assess the news and guidelines coming form our Federal and Provincial government, The BC Centre of Diseases Control and Northern Health. Council and staff are keeping a very close eye on the news and staying in touch with these trusted health organizations to ensure that we are making the best decisions we can for our community"

Towards their local response the City of Terrace has provided for a centralized listing of information and other resources for residents towards their actions and the advisories that they have put in place.



 Unlike the situation following the Declaration of a Local Emergency in Prince Rupert where Mayor Lee Brain has made frequent, multiple and lengthy advisories on his social media platform; Terrace residents will get their basic information from only a few sources, lessening the chance for confusing, or mixed messages and reducing the prospect for gaps in information for some citizens at this important period of time.

Ms. Leclerc also took time to update the community on how the City and the province were looking towards support for the homeless and those in need in the community, something that was missing from the Prince Rupert Declaration of Monday evening.

The Terrace resources can be found from the Terrace City Website and Civic Facebook page.

The nod towards the desire to work with the Provincial government, was also a theme that the District of Port Edward made note of in their own update for residents, of this week.

As we noted earlier this morning, the District of Port Edward is following much the same path as that of Terrace and has not declared a State of Local Emergency at this time, leaving Prince Rupert as the only municipality in the Northwest to take such action to date.

More notes on local responses to the COVID-19 situation can be found here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.