The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered one of the longest states of emergency in Saskatchewan history. With little prior knowledge of the virus, the entire world erred on the side of caution, which was really the only prudent government response.
First and foremost, the Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan will always stand for the health and well-being of Saskatchewan citizens.
We understand the importance of having the resources to deal with outbreaks or 鈥渇lattening the curve鈥� as it became understood.
When we stray away from quantifiable metrics, we lose the ability to evaluate our success. The metric, unfortunately, has often become 鈥�0 cases of COVID-19鈥�. We must always march forward in life to be free and managing COVID-19 outbreaks may be the reality, however, by remaining locked-down, we stall our life, stall our economy and trade our freedom for security.
We are not refuting the medical advice or recommendations of the provincial Chief Medical Officer, but accepting the advice of a single technical expert has led to many lopsided outcomes. The Buffalo Party supports 鈥楤est Practices鈥� for safety and for progress.
Metrics are extremely important for decision making and the COVID-19 pandemic. We find the media focusing on the听new case count听and the听cumulative cases听and deaths听rather than the more important metric of听hospitalizations,听which is the indicator of how overwhelmed our health system is.
There will be no jurisdiction in the world with 0 cumulative cases 鈥� fact.听
We will likely see cases of the COVID-19 virus circulating for decades to come 鈥� fact.听
We may, or we may not develop a widely effective vaccine in the future 鈥� fact.听
Some people will take it and some will not 鈥� fact.听
The metric we are striving for is a manageable number of hospitalizations 鈥� fact.听
To be fair and responsible, we must look at how we can re-open entirely and how that affects hospitalizations. Then, we can re-open and stop the over-regulation of industry.
The pandemic is disproportionately affecting Saskatchewan people in three serious ways:
First, we are seeing large upticks of suicides and mental health problems. People who are left with limited access to the help when they need it the most.
We are seeing elderly forgoing care because they are locked within facilities that can鈥檛 have outside caregivers, or even important, family visitors.
Important medical treatments have been delayed all around the province causing more negative health outcomes. We are seeing spiralling addictions problems, while many addictions support groups are unable to meet and support one another.听Unfortunately, we see the resulting alcoholism and overdose numbers skyrocket.听
Second, we have so much conflicting information about mask use and efficacy and a confusing and inconsistent sets of rules from industry to industry, store to store and community to community.听
Masks have become a divisive issue among family and friends听in a province which has, in fact, conquered the infection curve.听
Third, it should not be a finable offence to take your family to a restaurant, sit at the same table, stop in at the store with the kids after school, or by having a family dinner for Thanksgiving or Christmas in a province where the premier knows your dining room is none of his business.听
Finally, we are seeing the most massive handover of market share from small and family business to multi-national corporations of our lifetime.
If you are downtown there are space, distance and capacity rules, but if you can afford to sell out of a huge warehouse, you might consider a mask rule to make it look fair, while people can stream through the store like usual.
Again, we are treated unfairly for producing and selling goods here on main street, while the money is made on Bay Street.
Soon, the only goods we will see will come on a truck with a smile painted on the side of the box.听
We must demand a fair deal for Saskatchewan. We can't take no for an answer anymore.
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