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The road in front of the Saskatchewan legislative building was shut down Thursday afternoon for a protest taking to task some of those working in the large marble building.
About 130 people showed up for the rally, masked and spaced out, all frustrated over what they see as inaction from the provincial government on COVID-19.
Cases have been rising steeply in Saskatchewan over the past few weeks, adding 2,568 new cases in the week leading up to Thursday. The province now has the highest rate of new cases in the country.
Some other provinces have implemented new health measures in recent weeks to stop their virus spread, but Saskatchewan has not.
“I’m here to join my voice to the displeasure that a lot of us have with the inaction from the government with regards to COVID and protecting Saskatchewan lives,” Konlin said Stolz at the rally.
“They’ve approached this in a Trumpian sort of way, kind of denying it. Their only action, more or less, is when there is enough public pressure to finally bring in restrictions, like the mask mandates late last year.”
About 130 attended a protest Thursday afternoon in front of the legislative building to show their frustration over a lack of public health measures to address COVID-19. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)
Trudy Uhl held her sign up at the protest as well.
“I want the government to know that there are people that are getting tired of them sitting and doing nothing. It’s about time they get off their butts. They’re collecting a paycheque for doing nothing, and I’m tired of it. Too many people have died. I’m just done with it,” said Uhl.
Uhl said government and those who don’t want anything done about case numbers need to think about people like her young grandkids, who can’t get vaccinated.
“They’re being so selfish,” said Uhl.
Pat Hume said Premier Scott Moe needs to “get off his hands,” saying it’s a shame Saskatchewan is leading the country in new cases when something could be done about it.
“And no acknowledgment from Moe or (Health Minister Paul) Merriman or any of his ministers that there is a real problem that they have to deal with, rather than offloading it onto individuals,” said Hume.
Speakers at the protests talked about the shame that there aren’t any health measures and called out Moe for attending a golf tournament this week when they felt he should have been working on this problem. Moe hasn’t spoken publicly about COVID since Aug. 30.
“He’s collecting a paycheque and doing nothing,” repeated Uhl.
The protesters want at least a mask mandate put into place for indoor public spaces in Saskatchewan while others want a vaccine mandate for non-essential services.
“It’s time to take some action and show some responsibility and act like a government,” said Hume.
There were anti-vaccine protesters who set up across the street and tried to drown out the others with music and shouts, but a line of police was planted firmly between the two.
