8:30 – The last two CFL teams not requiring vaccine proof to attend games changed their tunes yesterday, as the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Edmonton Elk announced they would require either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to attend games in person starting on Sept. 17, after the Labour Day Classic. Scott Moe and the provincial government say they support the move and are developing a QR code that could be used by venues that wish to see vaccine proof, but not everyone is supportive of the Riders’ decision. Whenever public opinion is divided, we put the question to you in one of John’s patented reality checks: Did the Riders do the right thing? Call 1-877-332-8255 and add your voice to our poll!
REALITY CHECK: Did the Riders do the right thing?
9:00 – Hour of the Big Stories
10:00 – While education spending in public schools across Canada has increased, Saskatchewan’s per-student funding has actually dropped in recent years. A Fraser Institute study on education spending found Saskatchewan saw the second-highest increase in enrolment between 2014/15 – 2018/19 at 5.5%, but per-student funding dropped in our province by 10.8% when adjusted for inflation. The study also found compensation was the greatest contributor to growth in education spending, jumping by 13% in the studied period, with growth in salaries and wages increasing by 12.7%. Paige MacPherson is the Fraser Institute’s director of education policy and author of the study, and she joins Gormley to tell us more.
LIVE: Paige MacPherson, Associate Director of Education Policy for the Fraser Institute
10:30 – Today is International Overdose Awareness Day. Clive Weighill, the province’s chief coroner joins Gormley to discuss statistics on overdose-related deaths in the province this year and how that number compares to other recent years.
LIVE: Clive Weighill, chief coroner
11:00 – Most students in Saskatchewan are heading back to school tomorrow to start the next chapters of their education and their lives. When you remember heading back to school after the summer holidays, what stands out in your memory? Were you nervous, excited, scared, thrilled, or miserable as you went back into the classroom? Do you have a special memory or a good story about going back to school? Call 1-877-332-8255, because we’re sharing our back-to-school memories!
11:30 – We’re less than a month away from election day, and that means it’s time for some bold predictions. There’s still a lot of campaign left to run, but are you starting to get a feeling about how the dice will fall on Sept. 20? Call 1-877-332-8255 and let us know your prediction: Which party will form government, and will it be a majority or a minority?
12:00 – The people of Indian Head are honouring Constable Shelby Patton, the RCMP member who was killed in the line of duty earlier this summer when he was responding to a complaint of a stolen vehicle. Patton was 26 and had been with Indian Head RCMP for more than six years when he was killed. The town is building a new park in memory of him. MacKenzie Craigie is the Facility Operations Manager for the Town of Indian Head and she joins Gormley to tell us about the vision for the project and how they will be fundraising for it.
LIVE: MacKenzie Craigie, Facility Operations Manger