Saskatoon police chief asks public to comply with new public health rules
"I think there's a heightened sense of urgency around compliance this time."
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Saskatoon’s police chief wants members of the public to voluntarily comply with the new provincial public health order announced on Thursday amid a rise in Covid-19 cases in Saskatchewan.
If they do, there will be less need for any type of enforcement, Chief Troy Cooper said.
On Thursday, the Saskatchewan government announced masks will be mandatory in indoor public spaces starting Friday and vaccine passports or proof of a negative COVID-19 test will be required for certain establishments and services, effective Oct. 1.
“It’s a stressful time for a lot of people, regardless of your position on vaccination and masking, and we’re asking people to be understanding and to comply with the regulations with the understanding that these are hopefully short-term restrictions,” Cooper said.
Saskatoon police will consult with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency and the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety for guidance on its enforcement role.
Police likely won’t emphasize education the way they did when the first public health order was implemented last year, Cooper said.
“I think there’s a heightened sense of urgency around compliance this time. There’s also a more broad understanding of the presence of public orders, the ability to access the information that’s there, so our education won’t be as necessary as it was in the past.”
Along with enforcement, police will educate on the requirements and obligations in this new order, he said.
Small protests have recently taken place outside of Saskatoon’s City Hospital. Cooper told Thursday’s meeting of the board of police commissioners there have been no incidents of protests impeding access to a hospital or medical facility to date. If that happens, police will investigate it as a Criminal Code violation, he said.
Mayor Charlie Clark said the last thing health-care workers need is to be harassed or intimidated on their way to or from work.
“To have protests on the hospital site, to me, simply, it’s been unacceptable and it’s very concerning, so my message has been ‘Please, just stay away from those activities’ to Saskatonians.”
Cooper said officers will provide a “reasonable police presence” at protests to make sure there is compliance with restrictions, adding that the urgency expressed by public health officials and Premier Scott Moe on Thursday will be built into the rules.
“Our response will be dictated by the level of restrictions that are there,” Cooper said.
“We still support all of the freedoms that are associated with peaceful protest, but where that could be done safely. I think what we’re seeing now is not so much concerns about public safety with the protests, it’s simply about access to health-care facilities and people’s ability to receive care when they need it.”
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