The MLA, who is also the provincial Education Minister, spoke via Zoom on Thursday, and touched on several questions raised about COVID regulations, such as the need for proof of vaccines, or restrictions in public health orders.
“We’ve never taken lightly the decisions that we’ve made, and we understand the criticisms for actions we’ve taken, or for actions we haven’t taken at certain points,” said Duncan. “We don’t make any of these decisions lightly.”
Most recently, the province has enlisted the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, headed up by Weyburn’s former police chief, Marlo Pritchard, to set up command at the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC). Duncan noted they have extensive experience with logistics, particularly in moving emergency personnel around, and will be called on as needed as COVID cases reaches the critical level.
“The emergency power is a significant power that is in the hands of the government,” he said, noting this has given rise to many conspiracy theories, such as the government is after people’s cattle, and he assured the club the government is not after anyone’s cattle.
Duncan said the government doesn’t want to be overly punitive with businesses, but feels at this point they need to do public education with business owners, and if those don’t work, then enforcement may have to follow.
On the issue of ICU beds reaching capacity, the MLA was asked why the province still has not reached out to the federal government for help in dealing with the COVID numbers.
“The offers from the federal government for personnel is limited,” he said, noting the numbers of trained people who can help operate ICU beds are not as great as it sounds.
“There’s not a core of ICU nurses that the federal government can send us. We’re going to look first at where we have capacity,” he said. “We can essentially create an ICU bed out of any bed. The bed is not the issue, it’s finding personnel who are trained to provide ICU care in the province.”
Rotary member Grant Paulson asked about the seeming widening gulf between the medical profession and the government in how they react to COVID.
“These are some of the things that we weigh in the recommendations that come forward, and ultimately the ones that we do put in place. The senior leadership in the SHA are aware and are supportive of the decisions we’ve taken,” Duncan replied, referring to the announcement about the PEOC team taking on a new role.
“It’s a balance between where we get advice, from Dr. Shahab, and where he would like us to go, and where the government is more comfortable in going,” said Duncan.
“We’re relying heavily on getting people vaccinated, especially now. It’s a tricky balance in trying to do more, and the situation that we’re in currently.”
He added the government doesn’t want to go to the approximately 760,000 fully-vaccinated people in the province, who have made the effort to do the right thing, and tell them that the province is going to put them back under restrictions.
He noted that vaccinations in recent days has increased to about 3-4,000 vaccine doses a day, up significantly from late August and September when it had fallen to a few hundred a day.
Duncan also commented that there are hopes that children between five and 11 will be able to get their vaccines by November.
Rotary member Gary Anderson noted that Premier Scott Moe said he didn’t want to inconvenience the double-vaccinated people with more restrictions.
“I’m one of the double-vaccinated, and I certainly wouldn’t have felt any more inconvenienced. If you had done a poll of the double-vaccinated, I think you might’ve found that 60 or 70 per cent of them would have been very happy with more restrictions to bring this process along a lot faster, maybe to a happier ending,” he said.
“It’s a good question, and we struggle a lot with this at the tables that I’m privileged enough to sit at,” answered Duncan, pointing out that short of mandating every one to be vaccinated, they will never reach 100 per cent vaccination.
Earlier in his talk, Duncan noted developments ongoing in the province and coming to the Weyburn area.
He said around 2023 or 2024, the Department of Highways will construct a new round-about to replace the current intersection at Highways 13 and 39, big enough to accommodate a 53-foot trailer, or even one big enough to transport a blade for a wind turbine through the intersection.
In regard to the new hospital for Weyburn, the scope and cost tender will come to the provincial cabinet for a decision by November, and it will then go to market with the aim for construction to begin in 2022, “I’m hoping sooner than later,” said Duncan.
In regard to the recruitment and retention of physicians in Weyburn, the MLA noted that Weyburn is now back up to 13.5 full-time equivalent physicians, and one more is to begin on Nov. 1, to bring that up to 14.5 FTE.
In addition, the Saskatchewan Health Authority is piloting an initiative in a number of district hospitals (of which Weyburn is one), a new model for emergency room physician coverage, he said, noting that historically this has been an issue for doctors here.
