SASKATOON - Today, Leader of the Official Opposition Ryan Meili and Official Opposition Health Critic Vicki Mowat called on the provincial government to reconvene the legislature, release provincial modelling and transparent case rate information for school-aged kids and take steps now to save the school year.
“Scott Moe has given up on the fight against COVID-19, and he’s not being honest with the people of Saskatchewan. We still haven’t seen the provincial modelling, and we still don’t have a clear picture of what the 4th wave has meant for kids who can’t yet be protected by vaccines,” said Mowat. “If the premier and the health minister have information that suggests their lack of a back-to-school plan is anything but a collision course with disaster, they need to step up and make their case now.”
Saskatchewan does not routinely report COVID-19 cases for children under 12 who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. The week before school started, children and youth test positivity was an alarming 13%, and active cases in children and youth have increased five-fold since the end of July. Nearly 20% of COVID-19 cases in August were in children under 12.
In just the first four days of school, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Raymore and Punnichy have all reported cases in classrooms. In the Regina Public School Division alone 8 schools have reported 13 cases, even though the province’s reported school outbreak page remains empty.
“Premier Scott Moe is asking families to fly blind into crowded classrooms in this fourth wave of the pandemic,” said Meili. “It was a mistake to ignore public health expert advice on keeping kids and staff safe in school. We’re seeing the dangerous and potentially deadly impact of his choice to ignore the risks the 4th wave poses to our kids.”
New Democrats are also calling for:
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Poor working conditions, favouritism, $300K travel nurse pay at issue
REGINA - Today, the Official Opposition released a letter signed by 49 emergency room nurses in Saskatoon. The letter slams the Sask. Party government for failing to support Saskatchewan nurses and curb the province’s reliance on expensive out-of-province travel nurses.
REGINA - Today, Official Opposition Critic for First Nations and Métis Relations Betty Nippi-Albright hosted a Day of Action with Indigenous leaders from Nekaneet First Nation, Yellow Quill First Nation, Waterhen Lake First Nation, Onion Lake Cree Nation, Carry The Kettle First Nation, Key First Nation and the residential school support team from Yorkton Tribal Council. Together, they continue to draw attention to the Sask. Party government’s disregard for the Duty to Consult process.
MOOSE JAW - Today, the Official Opposition stood with Taylor Enns, president of the Moose Jaw Firefighters Association, and Brayden Dutchak, the son of a cancer survivor. Together, they called on the Sask. Party government to reopen Saskatchewan’s only hyperbaric chamber.
Records show former Sask. Party Finance Minister lobbied for Calgary surgery scheme on behalf of a major Sask. Party donor
REGINA - Today, the Official Opposition grilled the Premier and his Minister of Health after the Minister misled the public, claiming that he had not been lobbied by a former Sask. Party MLA when Saskatchewan's official lobbyist logs show the exact opposite.