The big news from Wednesday was that the provincial state of emergency has been extended another two weeks.
This news came even as the province was set to begin Phase Two of Re-Open Saskatchewan on May 19, and just one day after the south region including Regina recorded no new active cases of COVID-19 for the first time in weeks. There were also only four new cases reported on Wednesday, all from La Loche.
Still, despite the low numbers, the province issued a news release in which “residents are reminded that COVID-19 is still present and all public health orders remain in effect. Having few or no active cases demonstrates that personal protective measures are effective and continue to be the best defence against COVID-19.”
At the news conference Wednesday Premier Scott Moe noted the re-opening of businesses across the province starting Tuesday. But he noted the re-opening “will only be successful if we keep up all the good practises we have learned and become accustomed to of course in the past couple of months… so let’s be careful so that we can keep reopening our economy and enjoying our beautiful province at the same time.”
One item that made news Wednesday was news that the province had “responded to the recommendations of the Chief Electoral Officer,” said Moe.
The cabinet had approved changes to The Election Act Regulations to give the Chief Electoral Officer “clear authority to take any necessary action that he deems necessary to ensure the October 26 provincial election is conducted safely, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Moe.
According to the province the changes to regulations clearly define a public health emergency as an emergency under The Elections Act, and gives the Chief Electoral Officer the power to adapt any provision of the Act to address health and safety concerns.
Other major news from Wednesday was the announcement that the province was providing $300 million in new highways projects to boost the economy, part of the $7.5 billion two-year capital plan that was announced last week.
Premier Moe pointed to upgrades to 325 km of thin-membrane surface highways, 24 to 26 new sets of highway passing lanes, rehabilitation of at least 100 R.M. roads when combined with their existing municipal roads program, as well as improvements to community airports. This is in addition to the highways investments announced in March spending estimates.
In the question and answer session the Premier was asked about whether he would consider relaxing travel restrictions in the North.
Moe said there were “conversations ongoing” regarding public health orders. He said the travel restrictions throughout the Northern district was “to settle down the spread of the virus and really get a control over the spread of the virus so that it doesn’t get into all of our other Northern communities and into many other communities in the province.”
The numbers they have seen since the order was put in place “are improving.” Premier Moe said in the days ahead, if the numbers hold, "we will have a discussion with northern leaders as well as with others on can we really focus our restrictions to where they need to be and ensure that the restrictions are doing what they set out to do which is to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus and not impact those communities that are currently being impacted with infections.” But that is days away and not previous to this weekend, he said.
One controversy that emerged Wednesday was criticism from indigenous leaders including Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations about the RCMP’s presence in attempting to stop a traditional indigenous ceremony on Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation.
Premier Moe was asked why there was no exemption given to traditional Indigenous ceremonies on their land to allow for more than the ten-person gathering restriction.
“Because the virus doesn’t care,” was Moe’s response.
He pointed to other religious and cultural gathering that have gone to great lengths to modify their gatherings “so that they may continue to occur but in a much much different fashion than what they may have previously.”
Moe said the virus “is indiscriminate in how it spreads” and added the public health orders in place “need to be followed for the health of everyone.”
