Protesters against, for COVID restrictions gather near Legislature

It didn’t bring the kind of massive gridlock and constant noise that the previous one did, but there was another protest against COVID restrictions at the Legislature in Regina on Saturday.

People gathered on Albert Street by the entrance to the legislative grounds to hold signs and wave, while those who supported their cause drove by and honked.

None of those in trucks or other vehicles were able to enter the grounds of the Legislature, because it was blocked off with a concrete barrier. That was because of the Frost Regina winter festival.

There was also another, smaller group of protesters that came to call on the Moe government to keep up COVID restrictions like a vaccine passport and mandatory masking.

It was led by Saskatchewan Liberal Party Leader Jeff Walters.

Former Saskatchewan Party MLA Greg Brkich showed up in support of those who want to end the mandates.

When asked what he thought of Premier Scott Moe’s recent hints at ending COVID restrictions, he said he’d love to see it, but he still felt the need to put pressure on the provincial government.

“It sends a message to him. That’s why I came, (to) tell him it’s time. Instead of waiting two, three, four, five weeks, it’s time now. That’s why I came, to tell him it’s time to lift them. Lift the mandates and move on,” Brkich said.

As a long-time MLA, Brkich believes in getting in touch with politicians when you want to see change.

“I tell people, ‘Phone your MLA,’ because that counts. You may not think it does, but you write down the calls you get, and then you talk at caucus. And all of the MLAs sit around, ‘Yeah, I got 200 calls, I got 100, I got 300,’ ” he said.

Walters was on the opposite end. He said now is just not the time to be easing up on the virus.

“At the end of the day, we’re still in the midst of the peak of a pandemic as we talk right now. To have our leaders in government right now essentially suggesting they’re pulling back everything, in the midst of a raging pandemic, to me just makes absolutely no sense and it goes against the advice of almost every expert on the planet,” he said.

When asked what would be needed to reach a point where restrictions can be lifted, Walters didn’t name anything specific.

“Thresholds are interesting because you can go down that rabbit hole, and you’re never going to please everybody when you talk thresholds. But the point of it is, if you have, say, a health and social policy council made up of experts and advisors that can tackle those issues and give you options, as a leader that makes the most sense,” he said.

“I don’t think politicians necessarily are experts in science or medicine, and I think that we should leave it to the experts to help us guide through it.”

Protesters on both sides who preferred to stay anonymous also shared their thoughts.

980 CJME asked a man in favour of dropping COVID rules why he chose to protest, given Moe’s promises to do just that.

“As long as he’s true to his word. We’ve seen so much lying from politicians all across this country. I hope he’s true to his word, because the Charter of Rights and Freedoms has been stepped on,” he said.

A man on the other side of the debate said now is just not the time.

“I’m all for restrictions being lifted. They have to be lifted at some point. But right now, Saskatchewan is leading the way in hospitalizations, as far as they’re increasing at a faster rate than anywhere else in Canada. We should be looking at hospitalizations and ICU admissions, and then, once those are going down, then we should be looking at lifting restrictions,” he said.