The City of Moncton is seeking further clarification from the province about closing municipal parks.
Premier Blaine Higgs was recently asked whether they should be following the same protocol as provincial parks, “We do not want to keep any places open that would cause a gathering to take place. I would expect municipalities to follow that same protocol as we are following provincially.”
Higgs says he knows one of the advantages of living in New Brunswick is the open spaces, “But I know that there are spaces where people like to go. Many of these things come down to common sense, so you can take advantage of those places without all going to one spot. I would expect individuals to decide where they can go out in the fresh air, without necessarily exposing themselves to others.”
City Spokesperson Isabelle Leblanc says there is some confusion on what defines a park, because there are vast differences between Victoria Park and Irishtown or Mapleton Park.
She says, of course, they will follow provincial guidelines as laid out by Public Health and the province, but they have reached out to find out more information first.
She expects they’ll know more by the end of the day.
Meantime, The City of Moncton has made the decision to close the downtown skate park until further notice.
Concerns were expressed to several City Councillors regarding to the number of people gathering there as the weather gets warmer.
