Council to ask SHA for camp assessment
Worried about the safety of workers amid the COVID -19 pandemic, Regina city council is calling on the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) to do an assessment of the refinery work camps.
“Many of the individuals who are there have been there since December and there is increased concern that this is not a safe place to be given the COVID outbreak,” said Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Stevens.
Stevens brought forward a motion at a city council meeting Friday night, which passed with an overwhelming majority, to call on the SHA to release a public health assessment of the replacement and temporary worker camps at or near the Co-op Refinery Complex (CRC).
The motion also directs administration to call upon the provincial government to enable the city to pull the occupancy permit previously approved for the camp if health officials deem the site to be a public health risk.
“Based on ... some of the emails that have been circulated to us, those who are returning recently from the United States and elsewhere and travelled broadly are then going back into these camps where ... people are eating, sleeping, working and socializing in close quarters,” said Stevens. “I think this is really on our shoulders to call for a proper inquiry into the safety of this facility and to bring some resolution to the public and to workers on whether or not it is safe to be in there.”
The motion is just the latest in a string of measures being taken by city council and the City of Regina to prevent further spread of COVID-19. The total number of cases in Saskatchewan was 44 as of Saturday afternoon.
On Friday, the council declared a local state of emergency and put in place a number of measures, some that mirror provincial measures, others that go a little further, including prohibiting gatherings of more than five people in public spaces effective March 20 and ordering the closure of all clothing, shoes, sporting, furniture, toy, craft, and gaming retail shops effective Monday.
But it’s still unclear which set of measures Regina residents should adhere to. While a City of Regina PSA was released Saturday morning announcing the new local measures, Mayor Michael Fougere said Friday night that they are more of a “wish list” or suggestions he hopes the provincial government will consider.
The measures put in place by the provincial government carry the full weight of the law under the Emergency Measures Act and so all Saskatchewan residents must abide by them, said Premier Scott Moe on Friday when asked for clarification.
“We will look at what the City of Regina has done with respect to what act or what they are using to put forward the motions they have,” said Moe.
While some city councillors felt the discrepancy in measures between the provincial government and the City of Regina would be too confusing for residents, Fougere said it was important for the city to be a leader by taking more extreme precautions in order to protect residents.
Legislation states that the local emergency declaration and the subsequent measures that were agreed on will expire in seven days unless the city applies for an extension to the province before then.
“We certainly support what the province has done, but ... we want to have less public interaction,” said Fougere after Friday night’s council meeting.
Council also approved a variety of measures to help Regina residents impacted by the virus including waiving transit fees, extending property tax deadlines and suspending late payment charges on utility accounts until Sept. 30, and suspending all bill collection activities.
The city will also reduce bus service during the week to the Saturday schedule (every 60 minutes) to ensure sustainable service. As of Friday, the city had 32 operators off the job for various reasons, including some self-isolating after travelling. City manager Chris Holden said a difference in training and licensing prevents the city from drawing on the city’s school bus drivers to help fill the gaps. Now that passengers don’t have to pay for bus fare, they are being asked to enter and exit buses by the rear doors to give drivers appropriate space.
City council will request that the province temporarily suspend all residential evictions under The Residential Tenancies Act, as well as immediately launch and begin accepting applications from low income households under the Canada Housing Benefit Program. The city is working closely with the Ministry of Social Services, which has access to four hotels that can be used for additional shelter as needed.
As sanitation and disinfection efforts among city operations are being increased to tackle COVID -19, supplies have decreased, according to Barry Lacey, executive director of financial strategy and sustainability for the city.
“To be frank here, it is very challenging for us right now to access all of the necessary supplies with respect to sanitation,” said Lacey during Friday night’s council meeting. “We are bringing those supplies in but I do not want to understate the challenge, because there is significant shortage out there.”