North Sask. leaders emerge from restrictions with lessons

SASKATOON The easing of travel restrictions in northwestern Saskatchewan on Monday was a firm reminder of the hard-fought lessons northern leaders gleaned during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the provincial government lifted limits in the region, some leaders were cautiously relieved. While recognizing the risks a predicted second wave in the fall could pose, they had a moment to reflect on response efforts in the province’s hardest-hit region.

“On the provincial side, we weren’t ready,” noted Rick Laliberte, the incident commander of the Northwest Incident Command Centre. He said the lack of pandemic plans in March caught some communities on the back foot, exposing jurisdictional divides as First Nations sealed off and municipalities scrambled to respond. “We had to learn on the fly,” he said.

Laliberte, who is leaving his position, has some advice for his successor as efforts continue for the rest of the year.

He said early identification and containment, and prior consent from residents to flag cases, will be key to community and household responses. He also hopes there will be more pressure to address vulnerabilities like homelessness, food insecurity, and limited health resources, which the pandemic heightened, he said.

The north should also develop more independence and capacity to produce supplies like protective equipment, he added.

Communication with the province was also a key missing factor, Laliberte said.

Green Lake Mayor Ric Richardson echoed the sentiment. Last month, he raised the alarm that his municipality wasn’t fully included in travel restrictions. He believed poor communication put his community at risk as travellers were largely free to enter, he said.

The pandemic revealed a divide between north and south, Richardson added. In some cases, he noted a few southern businesses wouldn’t service northern residents.

“It seems like we were more interested in keeping northerners in the north, (rather) than the diseases from coming into the north,” he said. “It’s unfortunate to see.”

Bruce Fidler, executive director of regional advocacy group New North, said he was relieved to see rules easing and the first signs of an economic recovery.

“Hopefully we can get those numbers right down, and keep it that way,” he said.

He expressed appreciation for the waves of support from various levels of government, and added that co-operation between communities was a key success.

Noting nine of the province’s 13 deaths so far were in the north or far north, he said communities will likely be ready in the case of a second wave.