‘The right balance’: NDP promotes proof of vaccinations for Rider games

Showing proof of vaccination to attend a Saskatchewan Roughriders game this season would be a small step that would protect the health-care system and those unable to get inoculated against COVID-19, says the NDP.

Speaking to reporters outside Mosaic Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, Regina Elphinstone-Centre MLA Meara Conway warned that with tens of thousands of fans expected to pack the stadium this summer, the games pose a risk of becoming superspreader events.

“These superspreader events risk putting additional strain when, again, everyone is hoping — particularly our hard-working frontline health-care workers — that the worst of this is behind us,” Conway said.

“We should be taking every reasonable step that we can to keep Saskatchewan families safe. People have been waiting a long time to do the things that they love and one of those things is going to a Riders game.”

Premier Scott Moe has rejected the notion of making proof of vaccinations mandatory for large events, saying it would be a “potential violation of health information privacy” to ask for it.

Saskatchewan would not be the first place to require vaccination for mass gatherings. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will admit only fully vaccinated fans to their games. Nor would it necessarily be out of step with public opinion, with a University of Saskatchewan poll saying most respondents would want people to show proof of vaccination at big events.

“We don’t govern by polls. We govern by proper public policy as well as what we can and can’t do with respect to privacy information,” Moe said during a news conference Tuesday.

Conway was joined by Regina University MLA Aleana Young, who said the only information that would be sought is whether a person has taken the steps to protect themselves and others from COVID-19.

“We’re not asking folks to disclose whether they’ve got a bum knee or have some sort of underlying condition,” Young said.

Conway said it was “disingenuous” of Moe to cite privacy in rejecting vaccine passports.

“I think that Mr. Moe is pandering to a small but very vocal element of his political base and it’s a shame,” she said.

“There’s always a balance to be struck between public health and personal privacy and we believe that requiring those folks that can be vaccinated to be vaccinated (in order) to be at these huge stadium events strikes the right balance. They’ve figured it out in Manitoba with similar privacy legislation, we can figure it out here.”

Young also pointed out there could be kids under 12 years of age at the games, and that age group is still ineligible for vaccination.

“We’re both moms. (We) both want to be able to go to big events in this province and know that if we’re taking our families and our little people under the age of 12 who can’t be vaccinated, that the province and the premier is doing everything that they can to keep the smallest people and the most vulnerable people in the province safe,” she said.