After months of work, the council of the Rural Municipality of Prince Albert passed their Pandemic Strategy and Relief policy at their regular meeting on Dec. 10.

The matter was discussed at both October and November’s council meetings.  Some work was done by administration involving policy around masks in shop trucks as well as hand sanitizer policy.

Council had initially discussed a mask policy for RM employees, which came from the Occupational Health and Safety meeting from October.

Reeve Eric Schmalz explained that the new policy is viewed as fair and equitable to employees in the RM. The whole idea of pandemic relief is new to most municipal government’s in the COVID-19 pandemic. It gives the options to employees who are not comfortable wearing masks.

 “It was important to cover those bases because I know that there are some people that are unable to wear a mask and we might have to look at alternate means of protecting themselves and protecting others,” Schmalz said.

There were also adjustments to policy around sick leave regarding the COVID-19 pandemic related to matters such as self-isolation.

Assistant administrator Karri Willick outlined the policy to council.

The final policy included items such as proper physical distancing and staying home if you are feeling sick. The policy will be aligned with any changes coming from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA). Willick was in contact about facemasks and if employees want to be medically exempt from wearing masks. Essentially information must be provided before this can be the case. If a facemask is not suitable as a substitute for a mask there must be information from a doctor.

There must be alternative options provided and if those do not work then the employee will be provided alternate work, if that is not workable employees will be sent home. The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) also offers coverage for employees along with options from the Canada Revenue Agency to assist employees. The current sick leave policy will remain in place. Council passed the new policy unanimously.

Due to issues arising during the meeting the council will be concluding their agenda on Thursday, Dec. 17.

New grading policy put in place by RM of Prince Albert

After the record snowfall on the weekend leading up to Election Day on Nov. 9 the RM felt stress because of the snow and has instituted a first ever policy around grading roads and approaches which was passed at their meeting on Dec. 10.

The policy was put in place to find an effective means of mitigating snow being pushed onto properties

 “What we did was there was some complaints and follow ups after that the RM had just left ridges on people’s approaches. And apparently there was no policy on how to deal with that,” Schmalz said.

“Our main objective is to get the arterial roads cleared and be able to provide means of getting access and egress for our ratepayers to get from their homes to the city and also for emergency services to be able to attend if there is an incident that requires medical or police or fire intervention,” Schmalz said.

In the new policy main roads remain the priority and approaches are secondary. Graders will create paths into driveways.

“So now we have created a policy where we will be able to still go back and clean up the approaches to a certain degree to allow for people to be able to get out of their homes,” Schmalz said.

The snow gates left by graders were also set by the new policy.

Council also approved their fire services agreement with the City of Prince Albert during the meeting. The new three-year agreement between the RM and the City of Prince Albert Fire Department now awaits approval from the City.

“We have signed the contract as it was presented to us after our amendments and the city’s amendments were made to the contract. We were satisfied and we signed it now we just have to wait for the city to sign their portion,” Schmalz said.

“It has just got to be ratified by the city and signatures put on blocks,” he added. One change is that the PAFD will now respond to all smoke alarms and CO alarms with a wellness check if a homeowner can’t be reached by the alarm company.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority announced on Friday that they will be expanding drive-through testing hours in Regina and Saskatoon beginning in the New Year when they will be able to add more staff.

Beginning Jan. 2, 2021 in Regina at the International Trade Centre at Evraz Place, Hall C, 1700 Elphinstone Street  (11th Avenue entrance from Lewvan Drive on the west side of the ​​complex) the new hours will be 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. Hours until Jan. 2 remain 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.

Beginning Jan. 4, 2021 at 3630 Thatcher Avenue in Saskatoon the new hours are Monday to Friday f​rom​ 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday fro​m 8:30 a.m.  to 4:00 p.m.. Until Jan. 4 the hours remain Tuesday to Thursday from 12:00 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.  and Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

A referral is not required to access a drive-thru test. You must wear a mask and a parent or guardian must accompany anyone under the age of 16. In your vehicle, everyone should be a member of the same, immediate household.

You will need a valid Health Card or an alternate government-issued form of identification such as a driver’s license or passport and every person in the vehicle who has these documents can get tested.

Drive-thru testing sites are first-come, first-serve and waits should be expected depending on the demand for services.

There are also safety protocols, patient registration, specimen collection and cleaning which can affect wait times. Currently, peak times are typically when the site location opens.

You can consider arriving at the location later in the day to try to avoid a significant wait, though you should still be prepared for a delay.

Drive-through testing was recently introduced on a daily basis in Prince Albert.

The Saskatchewan Rivers School division is working towards Truth and Reconciliation — and the commission’s 94 Calls to Action.

At their regular meeting on Monday, the board of trustees received a virtual update from Jodi Letendre on how they are achieving the goals.

According to director of education  Robert Bratvold the update for the board is done twice a year.

“The board sets some key focus areas a couple of years ago and we have been reporting those since. The biggest piece is the service to staff and students and families being put into action in regards to the Calls to Action,” Bratvold said.

Curriculum support in Sask. Rivers includes an Indigenous Perspectives Google Site, which according to the report, has been accessed 685 times. There is also a live stream with Elder Liz Settee which saw between 21 and 24 Grade 5 to 8 classes participate each week in November. In the report, Letendre explained that they are trying to expand it but Settee is the most adaptable to the technology. They are planning to expand this throughout the year to different grades. Settee is part of the  Elder Advisory Council to the board which advises the board on all aspects of Indigenous Education.

 “It’s important to see because they will know the impact that their leadership is having within the school division and in the community. And then the second piece is that is to see the work that is being done to support reconciliation and know that the division is a vibrant part of that,” Bratvold said.

Staff included are Letendre and half-time coaches Heather Tibbs and Tyson Fetch, who work with Superintendent Jennifer Hingley

Other ways they do the work in the division  include an adapted coaching model at King George School and  Cree 10 courses offered at both Carlton and Wesmor Public high schools.

 The division continues developing support and resources for implementation and offering of new indigenous language programs. There is also the Kindergarten Cree Language program is offered at John Diefenbaker School, which has 15 students enrolled, with plans for expansion in the future.

In June the board decided to take part in an engagement in the fall 4 Seasons of Reconciliation online development program that would then expand to the division as a whole.

That project is still in progress.

The province has announced $37.5 million more in approved funding for one-time expenses in schools related to COVID-19.

Thursday’s announcement is in addition to the $51 million in funding that was announced in September when the school year began. 

The funding is from the more than $150 million in the COVID contingency fund for education from provincial, federal and school division savings. 

“Our more than $37 million funding commitment, which is in addition to the $51 million we approved in the fall, will provide divisions with the resources necessary to keep our schools safe,” Education Minister Dustin Duncan said in a release. 

“This funding will provide for additional cleaning supplies, supports for online learning and the more than 400 staff that have been hired through the first phase of funding.”

As a part of this second round of funding, 51 applications have been approved to provide new funding to school divisions, qualified independent schools and historical high schools.

The exact numbers for funding in Prince Albert school divisions will be known in the next few days.

The following funding was announced Thursday:

$5.2 million for sanitization (includes 107 additional staff),  $7.2 million for equipment and furniture

On Thursday the Saskatchewan Health Authority declared an outbreak after two positive cases of COVID-19 were connected to St. Michael Community School in Prince Albert.

After consultation with Public Health officials, all students from St. Michael Community School will move to Level 4 remote learning effective Friday, Dec.11.

The move to Level 4 comes just two days after all high schools were moved to online-only learning. After that announcement on Tuesday, Catholic School Division director of education Lorel Trumier emphasised how things move quickly because of COVID-19.

“COVID is very real and it’s very dynamic and fluid here in terms of how things are working and so we are trying to respond to the emerging health risks and needs in our community based on health information at this time,” she explained.

This measure is in response to the increased rates of community transmission and potential exposures of COVID-19 and Public Health recommendations.

There will be no in-person classes until Jan. 4, 2021, barring any other cases.

The division stated in a release that communication of the outbreak has been shared with specific classes and cohorts, as well as the school community.

The SHA is proceeding with their assessment of the situation, and all individuals deemed to be close contacts are being notified. The classes and cohorts impacted by this case, barring any other cases, are required to self-isolate as per Public Health instructions.

No further information was made available citing privacy concerns.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with this member of our school community, and we hope they are doing well,” the school division said in a press release.
They emphasized that everyone has a shared responsibility to decrease the risk of COVID-19 entering schools.

“Thank you to everyone for continuing to be diligent in performing daily health screening, staying home if ill, calling HealthLine 811 if exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, practicing proper hand hygiene, maintaining physical distancing as much as possible, wearing a mask when appropriate and doing everything we can to keep each other safe,” the release stated.

After consulting with Public Health all high schools across the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division and Prince Albert Catholic School Division will be moving to Level 4 of the Saskatchewan Safe Schools Plan effective in the new year.
Level 4 means a move to all online learning according to the Saskatchewan Safe Schools Plan.
The divisions released a joint statement on the move on Tuesday evening, with the change taking place from Jan. 4 to Jan. 15, 2021.
High schools in the city include Prince Albert Collegiate Institute (PACI), Wesmor and Carlton Comprehensive High School in Saskatchewan Rivers and Ecole St. Mary High School in the Catholic Division.
According to Catholic Division director of education Lorel Trumier the divisions have been assessing on a regular basis to come to the decision.
“We have really been moving in and out of levels since the beginning of the school year and this has not come lightly and without a lot of review for where things are at,” Trumier said.
“COVID is very real and it’s very dynamic and fluid here in terms of how things are working and so we are trying to respond to the emerging health risks and needs in our community based on health information at this time,” she explained.
In Saskatchewan Rivers, Vincent Massey Public School was moved to Level 4 on Monday and the decision making was similar according to director of education Robert Bratvold.
“It is challenging and we acknowledge the difficulty that puts many families in, in terms of having their children home all day now instead of in school. But it’s the decision that aligns best with the requirements for health and safety and operations of our school,” he explained.
According to Bratvold that decision was also based on the advice of Public Health that explained that there was a potential for multiple classrooms to be exposed.
Students will temporarily participate in remote learning during this time and both divisions expect to return to the current structure for learning on Jan. 18.
“It means that we are still going to provide programming and we are going to do our best to insure that our students are continuing to manage the learning program as we go through this very fluid and dynamic time called COVID. I think that anyone who wants to drive by the testing sites and see what the long waits are like will know that there is good reason for this to move this way after Christmas,” she explained.
The preventative measure is in response to Public Health recommendations based on the increased rates of community transmission of COVID-19. Trumier explained that being an urban centre with higher density population also played a role in the decision.
“Our transmission rates are high and getting higher and we need to manage them and do what we can to support that as well and keep people as safe as possible,” she said.
Students will participate and engage in remote learning programming, as learning expectations will remain a priority.
Schools will provide specialized programming or support for intensive learning needs on an individualized basis.
Information and instruction for all students and families will be forthcoming from their school administration and staff.
“There are great learning activities that happen remotely but the most familiar and the most supportive learning environment for most of our kids is in a classroom with their peers and their teacher and staff,” Bratvold said.
He explained that the goal is generally to keep students in classrooms but listening to health experts is the best course.
Information regarding the procedures for the start of the new block, on Jan, 4, 2021, will be finalized prior to Dec. 18.
Recently both the Regina Public and Catholic Divisions decided to also move students to Level 4.
“We know that other school divisions across this province are contemplating the move depending on their local health assessments,” Trumier said.
The divisions also reminded students and families to continue to be diligent in performing daily health screening, staying home if ill, calling HealthLine 811 if exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, practicing proper hand hygiene, maintaining physical distancing as much as possible, wearing a mask when appropriate, and doing everything we can to keep each other safe.
“Thank you for your continued support as matters evolve by emerging health risk assessments related to COVID-19,” the release stated.