Steinbach City Council passed a motion Tuesday evening that gives Mayor Earl Funk the ability to postpone, cancel, or change council meeting dates in April as long as he gives 72-hour notice.

Councillor Michael Zwaagstra presented this motion. He says under normal circumstances, to cancel or postpone a meeting they would need to hold another special meeting of council ahead of time which, in this case, would defeat the purpose.

"Our next regularly scheduled council meeting is April 7th, obviously with the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergency measures that are being taken, there is certainly a possibility that those meeting dates may have to be changed or postponed or cancelled. We didn't want to say definitively the meetings will be cancelled because we don't know how the next few weeks will transpire but it is a possibility."

Zwaagstra says he would hate to see public council meetings cancelled or postponed especially as they look to finalize this year’s budget, however, public safety is their top concern.

"We have some important public hearings coming up and we recognize that there are decisions that need to be made. At the same time, we are following guidance from the Province of Manitoba, from the Chief Public Health Officer and if we need to cancel or move a meeting date, of course, we are going to do so."