More information is coming to light about two charges that were laid in Chatham-Kent for alleged violations of the province's mandatory masking laws.
Municipal By-Law Enforcement Officer Travis Maxwell told Blackburn News Tuesday morning that the charges were laid at two local businesses last week Friday, one in Blenheim and one in Chatham.
"In both instances, employees within the store were not wearing masks in as required by the [provincial] regulation and the person responsible for the business was fined for non-compliance," said Maxwell.
He said local by-law officers have received dozens of complaints about local residents not complying with the regulations, adding that they followed up on complaints at 17 different businesses on Friday alone -- solely in the Blenheim and Chatham area. He said they have not gone out to other areas of the municipality yet.
Maxwell also echoed Chatham-Kent police chief Gary Conn's message that the time for education is over.
"We're almost a year into this, everybody should know by now -- it's nothing that's a surprise to anybody," said Maxwell. "We've been making phone calls to businesses when we receive complaints, advising them of the complaints we've had -- I can't say specifically that we called either of these businesses prior, but at this point, it's time to start dealing with these."
The charges that were laid under the Reopening Ontario Act last week each carry a fine of $880.
