‘We’re listening here in Saskatchewan’: Moe on future of COVID restrictions, ongoing protests

Premier Scott Moe plans on providing a better picture of when COVID-19 restrictions will be dropped in Saskatchewan.

Speaking to Gormley on Monday, the premier said Tuesday will be the day residents get more insight.

“We’re going to chart the course forward throughout the next number of weeks throughout February of really looking to removing the public health measures that we have in place,” Moe said. “We would encourage the federal government to be looking at the same.”

This wasn’t the first time Moe spoke about bringing an end to COVID rules in recent weeks. On Wednesday evening, the premier posted a video online stressing the importance of taking steps in the coming days and weeks to manage COVID in the same way the province manages other communicable diseases and seasonal viruses.

“As we look ahead, I think it’s important for all of us to really take a step back from where we’ve been, in particular, the last number of months and really putting our best foot forward and healing some of the divisions that we have that COVID has ultimately caused in our community,” Moe said.

“Saskatchewan is a strong place, and we’re the strongest when we all come together and we need to get back to that place. We need to get there in very short order.”

Moe said the recent decision to narrow down PCR testing was just a way to “catch up” with what other provinces are doing, as well as to free up resources.

That’s in hopes of further pursuing the desire to treat COVID as any other communicable disease in the province.

Moe went on to emphasize the importance of people doing their own risk assessment moving forward.

“I would put forward that the people in Saskatchewan are in a very strong position, possibly even stronger than other areas of Canada, in doing their own risk assessment,” he said. “(They’re) understanding what their personal risk is with whatever their daily activities are, having a rapid test available, which we have more of here than anywhere else, and conducting themselves appropriately and responsibly in their daily lives.

“I think Saskatchewan people have been heading in this direction, maybe even ahead of the government at times for some period of time. We have the tools available and I think this is just about taking the next steps. You’re going to hear about some more steps quite likely (Tuesday) on where we are heading with our public health measures.”

‘A tremendous display of people that are frustrated’: Moe on protests

As the protest rages on in Ottawa’s downtown core, a similar protest in solidarity took place in Regina on Saturday and Sunday.

Moe says the public outcry by some people has painted a full display for him on the frustration some people are facing.

“A little bit over a week ago, there was a tremendous display of people that were frustrated,” he said. “This weekend’s protest I’m less familiar with. There was less dialogue back and forth between the organizers and anyone really in particular in government.

“They can have their voice heard like any other protest in and around the legislature — and there’s many. But I am not familiar with this particular protest here this weekend.”

Moe took the opportunity to encourage the federal government to listen to the protestors in Ottawa, adding the provincial government has been paying close attention to the protests taking place.

“I think it’s really something the federal government should engage in. They have a number of hard-working, upstanding in many cases — few individuals maybe not so much — but in many cases there some pretty upstanding individuals,” he said.

“I’ve talked to a few of my constituents that are very supportive of what they’re doing in Ottawa and the odd one that is actually there, and they have a message and they want to be heard.

“I would hope that the federal government would listen to what they have to say. For the most part, I think it’s been peaceful.”