Regina and Saskatoon city councils have lined up their vaccination and mask policies with the province, but Saskatchewan’s universities will not..By an 8-2 vote on Friday, Regina city council removed the requirement for proof of vaccinations against COVID-19 at civic facilities, effective Monday Feb. 14. They also voted to drop masking at all indoor civic facilities and on city buses at the end of the month— by a 6-4 vote..Both moves lined up with provincial policy..At the special meeting, a dozen speakers addressed the council, both for and against lifting the health measures..Coun. Cheryl Stadnichuk thought some of the delegates who appeared before city council proved there was “still a lot of misinformation about COVID and about vaccines.”.She wanted the measures to remain..“It is too soon. We have heard from the Saskatchewan Medical Association. The Canadian Medical Association say it is too soon to remove these measures,” she said..Coun. Shanon Zachidniak regretted the city was changing its approach..“Up until this point I have been proud of the leadership that city council has demonstrated in relation to COVID,” Zachidniak said. .“I can’t say that I feel that city council and administration is necessarily, based on what I’ve heard today, willing to continue displaying that leadership, and that is disheartening.”.Coun. Terina Shaw was among those in favour of lifting the restrictions..“I’ve watched people in our community suffer depression, overdoses, suicide, segregation, loss of jobs…For example, my daughter has lost her chance to compete at the Paralympics because she can no longer practise. This is not the community that I want to be involved in.”.Coun. Jason Mancinelli agreed the city was right to line up with the province and he felt ill-suited to do otherwise..“I didn’t seek that type of authority when I became a councillor,” Mancinelli said..Council rescinded the emergency powers that had been given to City Manager Chris Holden, who was fired on Monday February 7 in a 9-1 vote. He will receive 17 months of severance pay, and the city has said it may take until the end of 2022 to replace him..In Saskatoon, city councillors voted Tuesday to end proof of vaccination requirements at city facilities starting Feb. 14, but masks are still required. The City of Prince Albert is expected to follow suit at a meeting Friday night..On Thursday, Regina’s public and Catholic school divisions announced that on February 14 they would stop asking adults entering their schools or facilities to show proof of vaccination or a negative covid test. Mask requirements will end March 1..Saskatchewan universities took a different approach..A University of Regina press release said masking requirements would continue. Also, until the end of the semester on April 11, students on campus who would not provide proof of vaccination were still “required to self-conduct rapid antigen tests three times per week, and submit those test results to the vaccination portal.”.However, occasional visitors to the university for an event would no longer be required to show vaccination. .The University of Saskatchewan will require students to be vaccinated until April 8 and masking will be required until April 30..Lee Harding is a Saskatchewan-based contributor to the Western Standard.
