SASKATOON - Today, Official Opposition Leader Ryan Meili and Official Opposition Health Critic Vicki Mowat called on the province to expand vaccination leave to parents who need to leave work to take their children to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
“We called for the government to create a proactive plan for the vaccine rollout for 5 to 11-year-olds over a month ago,” said Meili. “While the SHA has done a phenomenal job keeping up with the early interest from parents, this would be a simple step to make sure we can make it as easy as possible for children to get vaccinated.”
The Sask. Party government created 3 hours of paid leave for people to receive a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in March 2021. However, this leave is not available for parents who are required to take their children to receive a vaccine.
“If the government is opting for parents to physically be present for their children’s vaccination rather than signed consent forms, we need to be removing barriers for parents so that we can get as many people vaccinated as possible,” said Mowat. “Expanding The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations to provide 3 hours of paid leave to vaccinate your children would allow parents more flexibility and ensure that our vaccination clinics are not overwhelmed during peak non-work hours.”
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