For example, if an infectious disease has spread to an apartment building, current law requires public health to issue an isolation order for each resident.
” This gives us a more targeted approach to managing illnesses and outbreaks. Instead of locking down an area or targeting an area or province, we’re going to be able to target a building, or a block a bit more tightly. »
Changes to the law would allow officials to notify all residents with one notice, order the isolation of an entire category of people
such as those who have been in contact with an infected person or a particular place, or those who have tested positive for a screening test.
The Liberals and the Green Party have signaled their support for the bill and will study it more carefully before deciding whether to vote in favor or not.
It’s the thing to do
agreed Liberal Opposition Leader Roger Melanson.
Insufficient legislative means
The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 showed that New Brunswick did not have sufficient legislative means to apply targeted containment measures.
The Higgs government relied on the Emergencies Act to declare a state of emergency, giving the Minister of Health increased powers to issue emergency orders.
Premier Blaine Higgs, Health Minister Dorothy Shephard and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr Jennifer Russell.
Photo: Radio-Canada
Fredericton has used the situation to take actions it otherwise would not be able to legally take, such as closing borders for most travellers, prohibiting landlords from evicting tenants for non- payment of rent or to force restaurants to close dining rooms or to respect physical distance in the organization of tables.
This law had never been used before and was designed for short-term emergencies, such as during the 2017 ice storm or the spill of dangerous goods on a road in 1999. It allows a Minister of Safety public to lift an interim order after two weeks or to renew it.
22 months of state of emergency
The Higgs government maintained a state of emergency from March 2020 to July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A second state of emergency was imposed from September 2021 to March 2022.
Green Party Leader David Coon called for changes to this law in July 2021, arguing that Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jennifer Russell needed additional powers to manage COVID-19 outbreaks once the emergency decree expired.
New Brunswick Green Party Leader David Coon on June 2, 2021.
Photo: Radio-Canada
He said Wednesday that the new bill is a step in the right direction
.
He added that the risks of spillover with this law became evident in the fall, when the government used it to order the return to work of hospital workers on strike, even if their dispute was not directly related. to the pandemic.
Health Minister Dorothy Shephard claims changes to the law will hold elected officials to account because a health minister will have to sign any order from the Chief Medical Officer of Health and will have to consult Cabinet before doing so .
Based on information from CBC journalist Jacques Poitras
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca