Show Segments

8:30 – The provincial government will provide $50 million to help businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will provide one-time grants of up to $5,000 for small- and medium-sized enterprises that have been forced to fully or partially close due to public health orders, and more details are expected today. Minister Jeremy Harrison has been spearheading the program, and he joins Gormley to tell us more.

LIVE: Jeremy Harrison, Saskatchewan Minister of Trade and Export Development.

9:00 – The Hour of the Big Stories… Open Session

10:00 – Is Canada’s COVID-19 testing program giving us the information we need? U of R biology professor Josef Buttigieg says we need to start testing for antibodies to determine the true spread of the virus and inform our decisions on restrictions and quarantines. Buttigieg says the models currently used are making the assumption that most of the province has not been exposed, which may not be the case. Buttigieg joins Gormley to discuss the benefits of antibody testing, and how knowing who’s already been infected could help us improve our measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

LIVE: Josef Buttigieg, Associate Professor of Biology at U of R.

11:00 – While everyone is struggling due to COVID-19, it’s important to remember that Saskatchewan is relatively unaffected compared to other parts of the world. In New York the death toll has topped 700 per day, and we check in with Kendall Nestor, a Saskatchewan woman living and working in New York who’s been blogging about the situation there.

LIVE: Kendall Nestor, Saskatchewan woman living in New York.

11:15 – While the COVID-19 pandemic is creating a lot of fear and uncertainty, people and groups around the province have been stepping up in a big way to help each other out. Here’s your chance to shout out the heroes and helpers who are going above and beyond to help others during the outbreak. From frontline healthcare workers to neighbours stepping up to lend a hand, call or text 1-877-332-8255 and help recognize the people doing good work around Saskatchewan.

12:00 – The financial fallout from COVID-19 has affected just about everyone in Canada, with 34% of Canadians concerned about missing a rent or mortgage payment, and 32% fearing they’ll need to take on more debt. Adriana Molina with Credit Canada, a not-for-profit debt counselling agency, joins Gormley to discuss some of the immediate actions you can take to reduce the impact COVID-19 will have on your finances, what to do after a layoff, and what to do if you’re considering taking on more debt to cope with the financial pressure.

LIVE: Adriana Molina, Credit Canada Communications Manager.