La Loche mayor pens letter to Moe expressing concerns following northern visit

The mayor of La Loche wants some answers from Premier Scott Moe.

Georgina Jolibois penned a letter to Moe on Thursday expressing her concern with the premier’s positive rapid antigen test result and testing timing, before listing a few requests.

Jolibois’ concerns stem from Moe’s trip to La Loche, Buffalo Narrows and Pinehouse on Monday, the day after his last negative antigen test and three days before he tested positive for COVID-19. The news of his positive test was shared in a media release from his office Thursday and on Twitter by Moe himself.

Moe, Education Minister Dustin Duncan and Minister of Seniors and Rural and Remote Health Everett Hindley were touring northern communities for meetings and to announce the location of a new school in La Loche that will eventually replace Ducharme Elementary School.

A picture posted to Hindley’s Twitter account shows Moe in the meeting sipping a coffee and not wearing a mask.

“Since the news was announced on social media, a statement from your office indicates you did not perform a rapid antigen test before your travel to my community,” Jolibois’ brief letter stated.

“I have also been contacted by those who attended the event at Ducharme Elementary School in La Loche where many unvaccinated children were present, some who had been notified they were a close contact, while others had not.”

Jolibois then proceeded to ask for Moe to justify why he did not take a rapid test the day of the announcement, to work with northern public health officials to ensure all close contacts were notified, and to provide a detailed list of communities the trio visited during their stay up north.

Moe responded in a Facebook post, saying he had done a rapid test Sunday evening and got a negative result.

“(Taking a test) is something I have been encouraging all Saskatchewan people to do from time to time to ensure the safety of all, and something I did to ensure the safety of those I had the honour of meeting that day,” Moe wrote.

“After testing positive Thursday morning, I immediately notified all close contacts in accordance with public health’s precautionary 48-hour timeline. My visit on Monday followed all COVID-19 protocols within the current public health order.”