STC planning to vaccinate teachers Friday at SaskTel Centre clinic

First it was frontline police officers. Now it’s the teachers’ turn.

The Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) has been making use of its SaskTel Centre vaccine clinic, with Tribal Chief Mark Arcand stating the STC is taking a proactive approach. With educators soon to be eligible for the vaccine, the STC is stepping up.

“Right now, it doesn’t matter if you’re a teacher, non-teacher, police officer, whatever. You have to pre-register with the Saskatoon Tribal Council,” Arcand said Monday. “Based on what were hearing through (the Saskatchewan Health Authority) or the province, teachers will be eligible as of Wednesday … What we’re doing is pre-registering and pre-booking for Friday, April 30.”

The Friday clinic will include as many teachers as possible, Arcand said.

“We’re not breaking any rules here — we’re just pre-booking them — so (we’ll proceed) whenever they become eligible. We’re hearing it’s Wednesday and hopefully that stays true. If not, we’ll have to cancel all those appointments on Friday. In the meantime, they’re not jumping the queue … We’re just pre-registering and being proactive,” he said.

Arcand said the STC is able to vaccinate around 200 people per day, and he outlined that Saskatoon police officers — who were provided with vaccinations Wednesday — had two days of vaccination time at the SaskTel Centre clinic. Arcand said 150 were vaccinated a day, on both Wednesday and Thursday.

According to @StoonTribalCncl Tribal Chief Mark Arcand, 300 front line @SaskatoonPolice officers are scheduled to get their vaccines today.

This will happen at STC’s @SaskTelCtr clinic.

Chief Arcand shared the news on The Brent Loucks Show (@650Brent) this morning.#yxe

— Brady Lang (@BradyLangSK) April 21, 2021

As of Monday morning, 9,700 people are pre-booked through the STC’s online registry on its website. So far, 2,950 people have been vaccinated at the clinic since its opening date on April 6.

“Whatever the categories are or the stipulations are for each group … they’re all eligible,” Arcand said.

When asked if the SHA was providing extra vaccines for teachers, Arcand said that wasn’t the case.

“If SHA wants to give us X amount of doses for teachers, we can accommodate that, but it’s up to them,” he said.

“The need is to get them vaccinated ASAP, so we’re just accommodating that … We’re glad to be a part of the proactive solution. We just ask people to be patient and understand — it’s critical … We’re doing the best we can.”

Arcand said educators will have to provide a letter of employment to be eligible for the vaccinations. Individuals can pre-register on the STC’s website, which can be accessed here. 

— With files from 650 CKOM’s Brent Bosker