It could be a long night for Niagara's regional councillors as they revisit their mandatory face mask bylaw.
Council will vote to extend the bylaw during tomorrow's meeting beyond its October 1st expiry date.
In early July, council spent several hours debating whether to make masks mandatory in indoor public settings, when the vote looked like it might fail as council became deadlocked, Chair Jim Bradley voted to defer a vote for two weeks.
Two weeks later council voted in favour of mandatory face coverings.
At the time, Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati expressed concerns the bylaw was unenforceable, suggesting police and public health have neither the time nor the resources to enforce the rule.
Speaking with CKTB's Tim Denis this morning, the mayor was more supportive of the move saying "it's one more line of defence, it's not a panacea, and I think most people realize it's one of the few things we can do, that we know can be effective, and I think it's incumbent upon us to do it."
Diodati does point out, he does take issue with a move to extend the bylaw to next April, he calls that 'overarching' and he would prefer they pass it for shorter periods and then revisit it based on current numbers or whether there is a vaccine.