REGINA The Saskatchewan government introduced a new civilian-led independent police oversight model Monday. The Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) will investigate serious incidents involving police officers in the province, like sexual assault, serious injury or death in police custody. Justice Minister and Attorney General Gordon Wyant said the province will start looking to appoint an executive director right away. “We hope to have the executive director in place by July 1,” Wyant said. “We’re looking for someone that has some legal experience, someone who’s experienced in police work, perhaps someone that has experience in administrative law or somebody’s that legally trained.”
REGINA Saskatchewan made some changes to its age-based COVID-19 vaccine strategy Monday, announcing it will begin immunizing some frontline essential workers – but not all. The province reported it will begin vaccinating police officers, firefighters and public health inspectors with the help of mobile vaccination clinics. Remaining health care workers will also receive first doses and pharmacies will be able to vaccinate its own employees in the coming weeks. The Ministry of Health said vaccination of first responders will start in the next two weeks, as mobile vaccine clinics finish giving first doses to residents and staff in congregate living settings.
REGINA Regina city council has offered a piece of land for significantly less than its appraised value to an unnamed purchaser. A purchaser is looking to buy a piece of land north of the City. The development is still confidential, but the rail line is expected to be used. “This could have dire results if it was out in the public, because any competitor that caught wind of it could potentially insert themselves on a very minor scale, which could ruin the compilation of land that’s required in order for something of this nature to go forward,” Mayor Sandra Masters said.
REGINA While Saskatchewan has seen hesitancy from residents to receive AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, one Regina doctor is encouraging people to take whichever vaccine is offered to them. If I weren’t vaccinated right now and I had the option [to] get AstraZeneca right now or wait two weeks for Pfizer, I would not hesitate to get the first of whatever it was I could be offered, Dr. Alex Wong, an infectious disease physician in Regina, told CTV News on Monday. If you get COVID, it’s literally the difference between you being at home with the sniffles and you being in the ICU, or in a box.