Wood Buffalo council is holding an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss a motion from Mayor Don Scott.

Earlier this week, Scott brought forward 17 potential measures to help limit the spread of COVID-19 across Wood Buffalo.

This includes shutting down non-essential services, as deemed by the CAO and Director of Emergency Management, and having residents stay at home, if able.

At the time, council voted against waiving the needed time before a motion could be debated after first being introduced.

Ontario and Quebec have undertaken these measures on a provincial matter, however, Alberta has not.

According to Scott Davis, Director of Emergency Management for the RMWB, no community in Canada has taken it upon themselves to implement these steps.

Mayor Scott argued waiting around for the provincial government could be a huge safety risk.

Right now, there are three confirmed coronavirus cases in Fort McMurray.

The public is being encouraged to tune into Friday’s meeting online or via teleconference.

Anyone interested in speaking must email [email protected] before 3 p.m.

Residents can still participate in-person, however, social distancing requirements must be followed.

The meeting gets underway at 7 p.m. at the Syncrude Atheltic Park Clubhouse.