The federal government has announced plans to check fevers at 15 Canadian airports in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Starting on June 30, all air operators must conduct temperature screenings for passengers travelling to Canada prior to departure. Temperature screening stations will start at international airports in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver by the end of July. Additional screening stations will be in place at another 11 Canadian airports, including John G. Diefenbaker International Airport in Saskatoon, by September.
Any passenger with an elevated temperature will not be allowed to board unless they have a medical certificate to explain their condition.
“There are strong measures already in place to keep people safe, and this screening will add yet another of protection,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday.
Within Canada, screeners from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority will perform the checks. Passengers will be checked twice, 10 minutes apart, before being allowed to board their flights. Anyone who does not pass the temperature check will have to rebook two weeks later.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau said other countries were already introducing the measures, and argued that West Jet and Air Canada already have similar policies. Airlines and passengers have been hit hard by COVID-19, and Garneau said he expected full support from them.
“Is it perfect? No, but it is part of a layered approach that we are taking,” he explained.
“I think Canadians and international passengers will welcome these (measures) and realize that they are an additional layer of safety for Canadians.”
“It’s just an additional measure that will protect people,” Trudeau added. “I think Canadians expect us to do whatever we can to keep them safe, and that’s what we’re doing.”
The move marks a change in direction for the federal government, which previously said temperature checks at airports were not effective.
Garneau said they were acting on old information based on the SARS epidemic in 2003, and changed their minds after reviewing new data.
“I’m an engineer, so I do believe in science, and I can tell you that if somebody has COVID-19 and has a temperature and wants to take a flight, the chances with temperatures measurements are very high that we will detect that person,” he said.
Global air travel organizations like the International Air Transport Association (IATA) began calling for temperature checks in airports almost a month ago.
On May 19, the IATA released details about temporary security measures that could help restart air travel amid the COVID-19 crisis. Those measures included checking temperatures for everyone who entered an airport.
Garneau said they don’t know what the cost of implementing temperatures checks would be, but he expects it will be minimal.
Transit, landfill and airport revenue losses due to COVID-19 will be higher than expected according to an updated financial report included in the agenda package for Monday’s executive committee meeting.
City administrators originally estimated expected Prince Albert would lose nearly $190,000 in transit revenue due to COVID-19. However, the report now shows losses of more than $220,000. City administrators attribute the loss to lower than expected savings from temporarily removing the rush hour bus route.
Estimated lost revenue from the landfill jumped to $178,475, well above the previous estimate of $116,450. The new estimates have the Prince Albert airport losing $70,711 in revenue. The previous estimate was $49,955.
The report’s author, Financial Services Director Cheryl Tkachuk, said the economic situation continues to change rapidly, and any estimates will reflect that.
“Several assumptions and forecasts have been included within this report to forecast projections,” Tkachuk wrote. “Due to the fluidity of the situation, the forecasts could significantly change as the phase-in of the Saskatchewan Re-Open Plan progresses.”
While transit, landfill and airport revenue losses are expected to be higher than anticipated, that’s not the case with parking and traffic ticket revenue.
City officials originally estimated a $775,026 revenue loss due to the pandemic. The revised forecast estimates a loss of $541,185.
City council voted to temporarily suspend handing out parking fines starting on March 27. Bylaw resumed handing out tickets on May 19, the start of the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan’s second stage.
Although city spending has dropped due to reductions in travel, education and supply purchases, it won’t be enough to cover the loss in revenue. Tkachuk wrote that without help from other levels of the city deficit will carry over into the 2021 fiscal year.
As of June 4, the City expects to lose $632,588 due to COVID-19, assuming restrictions last until Dec. 31. Final revenue numbers from May are not yet available.
The financial update is one of three reports up for debate at Monday’s meeting. The other two involve a tourism agreement with the Prince Albert Regional Economic Development Agency (PAREDA) and a report on purchasing eight portable speed alert signs. It also includes a seven item consent agenda.
The federal government is encouraging Canadian businesses to take part in the new POST (People Outside Safely Together) Promise Program to help customers and employees stay safe as they head back to work.
After signing up for the program, businesses will receive communication and implementation package that helps educate employees on five key steps to workplace safety.
Mary Ng, Canada’s small business, export promotion and trade minister, said there’s still a long way to go before Canada returns to normal, and this package will help businesses until that happens.
“We’re seeing restrictions starting to be lifted, businesses and shops opening back up and many Canadians starting to go back to work, but the threat of COVID-19 is still very real,” Ng said during a media teleconference on Wednesday. “We don’t want to lose the progress that we have made over the past weeks.”
Maintaining physical distancing, washing hands and cleaning regularly are just some of the key steps Ng hopes workers and employees will remember. The program also provides tips and tools for practicing proper respiratory etiquette, including how and when to where a mask.
Business owners who apply can receive a POST Promise poster to display in store windows to show they’re taking part in the program. Ng said that’s necessary part of building public trust as crowds start to return.
“As businesses begin to open their doors, we know that things are not back to normal,” she explained. “Things are still tough. That is where our supports come in. We encourage you, as business owners, to take advantage of the help that is there for you and your employees.”
The POST program is not a certification or regulatory body, so all businesses who participate must submit to local public health office and government guidelines.
The federal government and private sector partnered together to create the program. It’s led by various groups, including the Business Council of Canada (BCC).
“For the restart to succeed, businesses need customers,” BCC president and CEO Goldy Hyder said in a statement released on Wednesday. “That comes from public confidence in everyone committing to doing their part for safety.”
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business will also be a part of the program. CFIB president and CEO Dan Kelly said consumers need confidence in public health before returning to their favourite small businesses, and this program will help make that possible.
As Canada starts to slowly recover from the COVID pandemic, housing and poverty experts are worried many cities will see a jump in homelessness.
A recent study conducted by a Columbia University professor estimates that homelessness could grow by as much as 45 per cent in the United States due to a COVID-induced economic downturn. Experts in Canada say there is no guarantee the homeless population will grow as quickly here as it does in the U.S., but they have no doubt it’s going to happen.
“I think we certainly could see an increase in Canada, but it really comes down to how will the subsidies continue (and) how quickly will the economy recover?” said Tim Richter, the president and CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH). “What will happen when provincial governments lift eviction moratoriums? We don’t really know.”
Richter spoke to a House of Commons committee on June 1, outlining his concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a spike in homelessness across Canada. The economic impact of closing businesses and capping public gatherings has hit low-income and homeless residents the hardest, he explained. Without continued government support, he’s worried many residents who lost their jobs will also lose their homes too.
The CAEH has developed a six-point recovery plan to help prevent a surge in homelessness. The plan calls for expanded federal investment in the Canada Housing Benefit, a national guaranteed minimum income, the construction of 300,000 new permanently affordable and supportive housing units over the next 10 years, and a limit on the ability of Real Estate Income Trusts to buy ‘distressed’ rental housing assets. It also calls for the creation of an Urban and Rural Indigenous Housing and Homelessness Strategy developed and implemented by Indigenous peoples.
Richter said that last point will be key for cities like Prince Albert, since many Indigenous residents will not have access current housing support programs offered by their home communities. He added that all levels of government will have to work quickly before vulnerable people start falling through the cracks.
“We’ve got a significant housing deficit in Canada,” he said. “We need to protect what we have to make sure the hole we’re in doesn’t get any bigger.”
Housing experts in Prince Albert are also worried COVID-19 will cause a spike in homelessness, and inhibit the ability of all governments to respond to it.
River Bank Development Corporation manager Brian Howell said government are increasing their debt to keep vital services open, but he worries that will have a negative affect down the line when those bills come due.
“For sure, there’s going to be an economic downturn from the pandemic, and there’s been so much government spending that at some point the two are going to come together,” Howell said. “There’s a good possibility, in my opinion, that there may be less money available for low-income families because of the need to pay off all of this debt. We are concerned for sure.”
Prince Albert Community Housing general manager Linda Boyer said she’s worried residents who don’t get their jobs back won’t be able to make rent payments. There are plenty of supports now, she explained, but like the CAEH, she’s worried about what will happen after the pandemic ends, and emergency measures like the CERB or eviction protections go away.
“If people don’t get their jobs back, then yes, we’re going to see a lot of people lose their homes because they can’t afford it,” she explained. “I don’t know what the answer is, but there’s still rent to pay, there’s utilities to pay, there’s food to buy.”
Boyer said she’d like to see the government temporarily pay the rent for any person who lost their job due to COVID. Howell, meanwhile, wants to see emergency programs extended, even after the pandemic ends.
Both admit there’s a lot of uncertainty going forward, and governments need to focus on the most vulnerable members of society, while remaining flexible with their policies.
“Governments need to really develop an upward looking approach to rebuilding, rather than a downward looking ‘we’ve got to balance the budget and God help anyone who gets in our way’ approach,” Howell said. “That’s what I’m hoping for, but we’ll see what happens.”
“I believe there will be units out there to rent, but (low-income residents) won’t be able to afford them if they don’t have their jobs,” Boyer added. “Like I said, I don’t know what the answer is, but I hope they can come up with something.”
Municipal and provincial governments have taken a number of steps to compliment federal programs like the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
In March, the Government of Saskatchewan temporarily suspended all eviction hearings as a result of COVID-19. However, tenants who are unable to pay their rent during the state of emergency are still expected to pay it after the pandemic. In Prince Albert, city council voted to give landlords the opportunity to defer property tax payments until the Fall.
In April, the Saskatchewan Landlords Association (SKLA) reported that 27 per cent of all tenants hadn’t paid their rent. Only three per cent do not pay their rent in a normal month.
In 20 years of working at the Co-operative Refinery Complex (CRC) in Regina, Ryan Dzioba has never seen labour relations this bad.
Dzioba, a refinery process operator who grew up on a farm just 5 km south of Prince Albert, recognizes there’s some give and take in contract negotiations. However, the refinery lockout, which started in early December and sent roughly 800 employees to the picket line, has tested his patience.
“The mediator came back with a deal, a fair deal for both sides, and we accepted that,” Dzioba said, referencing a report delivered by special mediator Vince Ready back in March. “Ninety-eight per cent voted yes to that, yet Co-op used that as a starting point for negotiations, and then put 12 more concessions on the table. They’ve never wanted a deal from the start, and it continues to look like they don’t want a deal.”
Dzioba isn’t the only refinery worker frustrated with the negotiation process. On Wednesday, more than a dozen union members picketed the Co-op gas station on Marquis Road, along with the nearby Co-op bulk fuel station.
They’re discouraged by the last few months, and concerned that too many members of the public aren’t aware of what’s going on.
“Coming up north, a lot of people just don’t even know why we’re here,” said Rob Bourassa, a 16-year refinery employee. “Some people don’t even know about the refinery (lockout).”
“We’re just hoping we can get some people talking,” Dzioba added. “Unfortunately, only about 20 per cent of the people up here that I’ve talked to this week know that we’re still locked out, or even know that it’s going on at all. For some reason, the (news) doesn’t get far away from Regina.”
Discussions between Federated Co-operatives Ltd and Unifor Local 594 hit a brick wall on Dec. 5, when the two sides couldn’t agree on pension contribution plans. Union members were locked out later that day at 5:30 p.m. The move came after Unifor delivered a 48-hour job action notice, which was followed by a 48-hour lockout notice from the Co-op.
Since then, both sides have dug in, with the refinery bringing in replacement workers to keep production running, and seeking jail time for union members involved in blocking trucks from accessing the property. Unifor responded with rallies at the Saskatchewan Legislature, and controversial ‘Meet the Scab’ videos on social media. They also considered filing complaints against the Regina Police Service after they did not notify picketing members about a bomb threat delivered to Regina’s mayor. The suspect threatened to blow up Unifor blockades if they weren’t dismantled.
In February, Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Minster Don Morgan appointed special mediators Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers to assist in negotiations. At the time, both sides welcomed the decision, and Unifor members voted overwhelmingly in favour of Ready’s eight recommendations during a meeting on March 22.
However, the Co-op Refinery said it was unable to accept the recommendations due to changes in global economic circumstances caused by COVID-19.
Unifor Local 594 members picket outside the Co-op bulk fuel station in Prince Albert on Wednesday, June 10. — Jason Kerr/Daily Herald
“We have seen a drastic decline in the consumer consumption of fuel and rapidly declining oil prices that have put the CRC in a more difficult position than when negotiations began,” read a CRC statement issued on March 22. “Like all businesses, the refinery is now reassessing how to manage through the financial turmoil. As a company, we must consider how to reduce costs, delay capital projects, protect jobs and make decisions around cancelling projects that are no longer viable.”
Union members like Dzioba aren’t buying that explanation.
“It’s ludicrous,” he said. “They are actually making more money now because of this, because of the price of oil. To use that to put more (demands) on the table is just ludicrous.”
While union members are frustrated with the past six months of negotiations, most remain optimistic a deal will get done. Dzioba said the union isn’t going anywhere, so the CRC will have to negotiate whether they like it or not.
Others, like Bourassa, are less enthusiastic. He said the union gave up a lot of concessions when it signed its last contract, but the refinery keeps making more demands. He’d like to see voters contact their MLAs, since it was taxpayer money that paid for a special mediator, and he worries Unifor and the CRC won’t be able to mend their differences after a divisive six-month lockout.
“It was and still is a good place (to work), but I don’t know,” he explained. “That relationship might be broken between us for a little bit. I hope I can finish my career there.”
Union members rejected one last CRC proposal submitted in April. CRC management called the proposal their “best and final offer” in a statement issued on April 29, saying it provided fair wage increases, pension options and a choice of savings plan or performance bonus.
“The CRC will be required to make significant chances to support the transition to a low-carbon economy, and to protect our refinery and jobs long-term,” read a statement from Gil Le Dressay, CRC vice-president, refinery operations. “Recent developments in our industry have only accelerated those challenges we have been highlighting since the negotiations began with Unifor Local 594.
“It is our hope the union membership will soon understand that the only deal that balances their requirements and also achieves long-term certainty for the CRC is our best and final offer.”
Le Dressay also said the refinery plans to keep using replacement workers to keep the facility up and running. An unknown amount of oil spilled into Regina city sewers in May due to high winds, but managers are confident the current crew can operate the refinery for an indefinite period of time, if necessary.
“The team currently running the facility has met the Western Canadian fuel demand the entire winter and has filled all inventories to ensure market needs will be met,” Le Dressay said in a media release. “Notably, I can assure Co-op farm fuel customers that the fuel to support their operations for the 2020 season is available and ready to go. The talented women and men currently operating the refinery are among the best and most experienced in our industry, and they are running our equipment exceptionally well.”
Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) communications and public relations manager Cam Zimmer released an up-to-date statement to the Daily Herald on Thursday, reiterating those comments and concerns.
“The Co-op Refinery Complex has offered its best and final offer to the union,” the statement reads. “This offer provides a total compensation package that exceeds all other refineries in Canada, which they have chosen to reject in a tough economy and even tougher energy sector.
“We appreciate the efforts of the government appointed special mediators Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers to bring us closer together. FCL has made concessions throughout the bargaining process and has agreed to most of the special mediators’ recommendations.”
This isn’t the first time Unifor members have picketed 20 Co-op properties across Saskatchewan. Picketers were in Prince Albert two months ago, and have also held protests at rural Co-op properties such as the Shellbrook Co-op Gas Bar.
Editor’s Note: this story was updated with additional comments from Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) on Thursday, June 11.
Funky Fresh Café and Bistro co-owner Melanie Quintal thought the first day back after closing for more than a month would be slow.
She couldn’t have been more wrong.
Instead of the odd customer here and there, Quintal and her business partner saw a steady stream of patrons step through their bistro’s doors, despite reduced seating requirements.
“My feet are sore,” Quintal chuckled during a short interview at the end of the day. “I’m not used to this.”
Quintal isn’t alone. With the province entering into phase three of the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan on June 8, restaurant owners across the province are opening their doors and getting back in the kitchen.
Although Funky Fresh didn’t open until June 9, Quintal said she’s just happy to be back in business, even with a few restrictions still in place.
“We actually had two catering jobs today, so it was busy,” she said. “I was not expecting it to be as busy as it was, but it was really good to be back and see all our regulars.”
While restaurants and caterers are back in business, they still have a long way to go before returning to normal. Like most restaurateurs, Quintal had to remove tables and chairs to comply with government restrictions on social distancing, a move that cut her seating capacity from 20 down to 10.
She’ll have room for more customers once the restaurant patio opens, and three catering jobs over the next three days will keep her busy. Still, there are some challenges.
Quintal and her business partner were able to secure federal funding from the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit, along with a provincial grant. That helped cover expenses and mortgage payments during the month they weren’t allow to open, but the lack of prominent public events and festivals will make it difficult to turn a profit.
“A lot of our money comes from vending,” she explained. “The (Downtown) Street Fair is huge. We usually use that money to put towards our (property) taxes, so that’s our biggest concern—just being able to make enough for those costs.”
Despite those challenges, Quintal remains optimistic about the future. She believes Prince Albert residents are ready to get back to normal, and part of that involves meeting and eating at a favourite restaurant.
“I think everything’s going to go back to normal again,” she said.
While dining establishments were allowed to open their doors to more than takeout for the first time in more than a month, some business owners are still playing it cautious.
A few, like the proprietors of Amy’s on Second, said they’ll need a few days to make sure all health and safety protocols in place before opening.
“As a small independent business, we are making our decisions based on what we feel is the best and safest course of action while complying with public health orders,” read a Facebook post from owner Amy Hadley.
The restaurant sector was just one of several allowed to resume in-person services starting on June 8. Personal services like manicurists, pedicurists and sun tanning parlours were allowed to reopen, as were gyms, fitness centres, childcare services, places of worship, beaches, outdoor parks and playgrounds.
Public gatherings also increased to 15 people for indoor gatherings and 30 people for outdoor gatherings.
No date has been set for phase four of the government’s Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan, which raises the indoor cap of public gatherings to 30, and opens indoor and outdoor recreation facilities.
New tenants will have to pay an extra $100 for on their utility deposits, a move city council hopes will help cut down on the number of unpaid water bills.
City council voted by a 6-1 margin on June 1 to increase utility account deposits from $150 to $250 for non-property owners. Property owners currently do not pay a deposit.
The motion also updates the new water account application forms to give landlords access to the Utility Account App, which allows them to receive notifications about overdue utility accounts.
“The taxpayer is getting frustrated with costs, and part of our problem is people who don’t want to take the responsibility of paying their bills,” said Ward 5 Coun. Dennis Ogrodnick. “That’s a problem that we have, and residents that I’ve talked to in my ward are tired (of it). Some of them are paying $5,000, $6,000 or $7,000 in property tax, and they pay it … and they’re tired of people not paying their bills.”
“I think we do need to stop dancing around the issue,” Ward 8 Coun. Ted Zurakowski added. “We do have … millions of dollars in unpaid outstanding utility bills, and when people skip out on those bills, the rest of us are left holding the bag.”
According to a 2018 report, there is more than $1.4 million in unpaid utilities bills from 4,657 accounts. The oldest account dates back to 2007. City administration say 4,080 or those accounts were renters, while the remaining 557 were property owners.
Things have improved little since then. A new report brought forward on June 1 shows utilities continuing to have the highest unpaid balance out of all city accounts.
“People are taxed to the hilt and they’ve had enough,” Ogrodnick said during the most recent city council meeting. “They want other people to start kicking in … (and) making a contribution as well.”
City council reached the decision after consultation with local landlords. The Saskatchewan Landlord Association (SKLA) gave a vote of confidence to the decision, calling it a “proactive oversight mechanism” that would help decrease the number of unpaid bills.
“The recommendation provides a strategy that gives the City the opportunity to manager (its) receivables in an efficient manner so that utility services remain sustainable into the future,” reads a letter of support from SKLA executive officer Cameron Choquette. “Our landlords are pleased to support this measure and continue to provide rental-housing for the people of Prince Albert.”
Ward 2 Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp was the lone councillor in attendance to oppose the decision. She said council needs more evidence before making a decision, and worried that renters were being left paying for a problem created by tenants and property owners.
She also argued council should hold off making a decision until the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it was wrong to charge new tenants an extra $100 for something that was vital for public health.
Through March, April and May, 262 new water utility accounts were created, which amounts to roughly three or four per business day.
“The new accounts are not substantially lower than a normal month before COVID,” she said. “We still have new water accounts being opened and we’re still reaching into members of our public’s pocket to have an increase of $100, and we don’t even know (with) the arrears, how much of that is tenant based and how much of that is property owner based.”
Lennox-Zepp tried to introduce an amendment during the June 1 meeting which would have delayed the deposit increase until after Saskatchewan’s state of emergency concluded. The motion died on the floor for lack of a seconder.
The debate over increasing water utility deposits has been lively and tense. When council debated the motion during a May 25 meeting, Ward 4 Coun. Don Cody blasted “a certain councillor” for creating motions that were not in good faith. Coun. Lennox-Zepp responded by saying she did not seek headlines, and honestly believed every motion she brought forward was good for Prince Albert residents.
“I just feel as though I have a gun put to my head here, because if I don’t vote for this, it makes (it look like) I’m a terrible citizen, that I’m just awful to these poor people,” Cody said during a debate on one of Lennox-Zepp’s water utility deposit motions at the May 25 meeting. “You know what? I have as much compassion as the next person has in this council chamber, and I practice it as well, but I don’t like the fact that every week we come along and we’ve got these water things coming here—with COVID as one part of it—and we are made to look like people who don’t have any compassion.
“I don’t like it. It’s terrible…. I want the public to know that these motions are not put up here—I don’t think—other than for one reason, and I’m not going to enunciate the reason.”
“Every motion that I’ve made in this council chamber for the last four years is because I want the motion to pass, period. Stop. Absolutely and totally,” Lennox-Zepp responded. “That means last week, that means the week before, that means tonight. I make motions because I believe that they should pass and they are in the best interest of the community.
“I respect how the vote (goes). That’s part of a democracy, but people elected me as an elected official, and I have a right to make these motions and not for it to be inferred that I am making these motions for an alternate purpose.”
Bus riders saw some return to normalcy on Monday as the City of Prince Albert launched phase one of its Transit Reopen Plan.
June 8 marked the return of the City’s early morning transit services, which was previously cut due to lack of ridership. It also saw the return of the Rush Hour Service from 2:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. City council voted unanimously to reintroduce those services during their last council meeting on June 1.
Phase three of the Reopen Saskatchewan Plan also started on Monday, and city transportation manager Keri Sapsford said residents needed working buses to fully take advantage of it.
“We wanted to match the phasing with the provincial government when more businesses were open,” she explained. “We knew that we’d probably see a jump in ridership on June 8 as well.”
Phase three allows retail stores, malls, personal services, childcare facilities, gyms and fitness centres to reopen under limited conditions.
City council voted to temporarily reduce transit hours during a meeting on April 27. Those reductions included ending bus service to all areas of the city between 6:45 a.m. and 7:45 a.m.
Transit statistics showed early morning ridership plummeted from an average of 100 riders before the pandemic to an average of less than 20 after. The City also temporarily halted Rush Hour Bus Service.
The month long shut down saved roughly $20,000 in transit costs. It will continue to save around $210 per day during phase one.
There is no set date for phase two of the City’s Reopen Transit Plan, which allows Rush Hour Services to resume operations between 6:45 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. According to a city report, the afternoon ridership is higher than the morning ridership, and drivers were forced to refuse passengers to keep in line with provincial social distancing guidelines.
May 19 was the busiest day for Prince Albert’s bus service. A total of 705 riders used it, with another 30 being denied due to COVID restrictions. The second highest number of refused riders came on May 23, when 22 were not allowed to board city transit. Other days saw anywhere from zero to 14 riders refused entry.
The City plans to return to full rush hour service once more than 10 riders are consistently refused riders during the morning Rush Hour period.
All city bus passes are being sold at discounted rates because employees cannot distinguish between Ministry of Social Services clients, who receive passes at a discount, and regular riders. City administrators estimate this will lead to more than half of transit riders getting a discount. This will lead to a 50 per cent drop in revenue from regular riders. The discounted passes will end once City Hall reopens to the public.
Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne says he’s going to demand the provincial government direct more funds to alcohol and drug rehab programs once the COVID-19 pandemic ends.
Dionne made the comments in light of city council’s decision to cap the number of cannabis retailers who are allowed to operate inside city limits. Opponents of the decision argued that cannabis was being treated unfairly, but Dionne argued the city is seeking to clamp down on alcohol consumption in the community too.
Part of that plan is to get the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority to direct more of its proceeds to treatment and rehabilitation programs.
“We are going to demand more of the profits from alcohol sales go to treatment programs so we can try to get people who are addicted to alcohol a better quality of life,” Dionne said in an interview. “We know it’s now a problem.”
Dionne’s remarks were in reference to the provincial government’s decision to keep alcohol retailors open during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, Premier Scott Moe said the government would not restrict alcohol sales because it might overwhelm the province’s hospitals and treatment centres. He also worried closing government stores would simply funnel customers to a smaller number of private stores, which would increase the chances of spreading COVID-19.
“If we were to close those doors, there may be people that would go through not only withdrawals, but be added into a system that we are making efforts—in normal times—to expand to address the demand here in the province,” Moe said at the time. “(It’s) not only with alcohol, but with other addictive substances we have here in the province.”
Dionne said he takes that as an acknowledgement that the province has an alcohol problem, not just cities like Prince Albert.
“They’ve admitted it, so now we’re going to say, ‘we want you to share the profits,’” he said. “We want more profits to go (to treatment programs). That’s who should be paying for it. It should be the province.”
Dionne added that the provincial government has been respectful in limiting the amount of cannabis retailers in the City. He’s confident they’ll do the same when it comes to alcohol.
“They haven’t just shut the door. They are listening, and I do believe they understand,” he said.
The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) already provides annual funding to organizations like the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Network. It also provides financial support to MADD and anti-impaired driving initiatives. Alcohol treatment programs are typically funded through the Ministry of Health, which draws its funding from the province’s general budget fund.
When asked if the SLGA would consider increasing the amount of money it provides to organizations like MADD or the FASD network, and spokesperson said the amount of funding varies from year-to-year, and is dependent on funding proposals presented to the SLGA.
In April, the provincial government partially reversed its stance and closed SLGA liquor stores in northern communities at the request of local leaders.
Licenced restaurants and taverns have been allowed to sell liquor through an offsale model during the pandemic. Dionne said he’s worried many businesses will fight to keep that privilege, even after the pandemic ends.
The provincial government has announced amendments to the Mineral Tenure Registry Regulations in an attempt to give companies more time to explore and develop northern mineral sites.
The amendments waive all expenditure requirements for mineral claims and leases that were active on March 18, 2020. That relief period lasts for the current term, plus the next 12 months. The amendment also allows any expenses incurred during the relief period can be applied towards future expenditure requirements, and allowed claim holders an extended opportunity to meet the requirements for deficiency deposit refunds.
Energy and Resources Minister Bronwyn Eyre said Saskatchewan’s mining and resource sector has ground to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic and these amendments will help companies get back on track.
“Keep in mind that these are mineral dispositions that these companies have already acquired and have already paid for,” Eyre said during an interview on Friday. “This just allows them to hold on to them longer, and also in some cases to raise the capital necessary to do the exploration work that they want to do.”
The changes come at no cost to the government. Eyre said the industry is still strong, and likely won’t need a financial injection to keep companies going. However, she argued the province would still need to provide more incentives for the sector to remain competitive.
A number of northern Saskatchewan mines have suspended operations during the pandemic, including Cameco’s Cigar Lake uranium mine, and Seabee’s gold mine.
Eyre said that’s an immediate concern for the government, but they’re confident the industry can withstand without significant aid.
“There are some things that we might look at around competitiveness for the sector moving forward,” she explained. “We’re always looking at those things, but within the strict COVID context, again, we’re looking pretty good for recovery in the mining sector.”
Eyre added that the government would be open to extending the amendments beyond the current term and 12 month relief period, if unforeseen circumstances kept the pandemic lockdown in place.
The amendments were made following consultation with Saskatchewan’s resource sector. Organizations like the Saskatchewan Mining Association (SMA) welcomed the news, saying it would help mining exploration and development continue despite the pandemic.
“Our exploration members are very grateful for the relief the Saskatchewan government has provided to Saskatchewan explorers,” SMA president Pam Schwann said in a media release. “It will further enhance Saskatchewan’s reputation as a destination for mineral exploration investment.”
The Canadian mining industry is one of the largest in the world. It employs more than 400,000 people across the country. In 2017 alone, Saskatchewan mining companies contributed $1.8-billion in federal, provincial and municipal taxes.
