Free transit service Operation Red Nose will not run in Sask. this year

For the second year in a row, Operation Red Nose— which offers safe ride services during the holiday season — will not be running due to COVID.

The free service, which normally runs in December, will not be taking place this year in Saskatchewan, Manitoba or Alberta.

“We were really looking forward to bringing the safe ride service back this year,” said Anne-Marie Audet, executive director of Operation Red Nose. We have put a lot of thought into our decision, and it was a very hard one to make. We were hoping, up to the very last minute, to be able to announce that we would be back on the road this year.”

“The safety of our volunteers and clients is our priority, the organization has no choice but to push the very appreciated service to next year,” Audet said in a release.

SGI media relations manager, Tyler McMurchy, added that although Operation Red Nose will not be in service this year, there’s still no reason to drive under the influence.

“There is always a better option than driving impaired,” McMurchy said. “There is never a good reason to get behind the wheel if you are impaired by drugs or alcohol.

“People should always make a plan for any holiday celebration they may attend or any circumstance that they will be engaging with alcohol or drugs. It is always important to make a plan before you start for how are you are going to get home safely or what you are going to do at the end of the night.”

He added there are a few other options to keep people as safe as possible over the holidays. Those include having a designated driver, planning to take a cab and, depending on your community, using public transit.

“There is always a better option for a safe ride home,” McMurchy said.

In the past, Operation Red Nose users have made a complementary donation. All previous proceeds have gone to support elementary schools. The service last ran in 2019, at which point they had raised more than $15,000 since 2017.

Operation Red Nose plans to return to the roads during the 2022 holiday season.