Premier Scott Moe took his Saskatchewan Party election campaign to North Battleford Thursday, where he announced the party’s plans for seniors.
There were three measures announced by Moe Thursday. The first was a pledge to eliminate charges for inter-hospital ambulance calls for seniors and to reduce the maximum cost of other ambulance calls for seniors by over 50 per cent – from a maximum of $275 per call to $135 per call.
“We want to reduce the financial burden for seniors who may be experiencing a health care emergency,” said Moe. This would take effect in December and was costed at $8.4 million a year.
The second pledge was to bump up the monthly Seniors Income Plan benefit of up to $270 per month to low income seniors to a new maximum amount to $360 per month.
“When the Saskatchewan Party was first elected in 2007, the Seniors Income Plan was $90 a month. In fact it had been stuck at $90 a month for the entire 16 years that the NDP had been in office,” Moe said.
“The NDP never increased it once in 16 years. Since 2007 the Saskatchewan Party government has tripled the Seniors Income Plan to $270 per month and now we think it’s time to help low income seniors in Saskatchewan by increasing it yet again.”
The plan is to phase in the increase over three years at a cost of $9 million a year when fully implemented.
The third pledge was to hire 300 additional continuing care aide positions. Of those, 180 new continuing care aides will be hired to work in long-term care facilities, while 120 will be added to provide home care services throughout the province.
The intention is to add new continuing care positions after the 2021-22 budget at a cost of $18.4 million per year. The cost of all three initiatives is costed at $36 million.
Premier Moe also took time in advance of the Thanksgiving Day weekend to thank people for what they were doing to protect seniors and everyone else from the effects of COVID-19.
He asked people to continue to be careful, and he “strongly advises against interprovincial travel,” he said.
“We are doing so well in Saskatchewan, let’s not let our guard down,” said Moe.
When asked about the potential super-spreader gospel event in Prince Albert that has prompted a multi-jurisdictional Sask. Health Authority announcement, Moe said he would let the contact tracing “do their work” and again reminded people to adhere to public health orders. He also expressed confidence about the province’s ability to contain an outbreak.
“We do have the testing capacity and contact tracing capacity to ensure we are able to contain it to those regional outbreaks.”
COVID-19 impacts Moe appearance
The circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic were obvious at the campaign stop in North Battleford. The scene at the campaign office of Jeremy Cockrill stood in stark contrast to previous Sask Party events in the Battlefords in past elections.
When Premier Brad Wall showed up at the Sask Party campaign office of Herb Cox in the 2016 election, he spoke inside a lobby that was packed with supporters, campaign staff and media.
By contrast, Moe’s appearance at the Sask Party campaign office was noticeably low key. There were a few media and TV cameras present and some campaign staff, but few Sask Party supporters. Hand sanitizer was present, and apart from those speaking, masks were required of everyone else attending. Campaign staff had masks available to hand out to anyone walking in the door and took note of everyone attending for contact tracing.
As well, instead of the usual media scrum with the Premier, reporters posed questions from a microphone that was set up.
Moe was flanked at the announcement by cabinet minister Warren Kaeding as well as Jeremy Cockrill, Sask. Party candidate for the Battlefords. All three were themselves distanced at the front podium.
“We’re doing things very differently, the most notable being where we’re standing here,” said Moe. The premier noted there has been an impact on their travel, noting that those travelling in the campaign have “bubbled” with their contact circle.
“We’re limiting that contact whatever degree we can,” said Moe.
Cockrill spoke of the changes he had seen out on the campaign trail going door to door. “We’re dropping literature, ringing the doorbell, and stepping back six feet,” he said. He said they had maybe one or two people in the past month or two “who’ve asked us to leave, and we respect that.” But he said the reaction from most people has been positive.
“All of our volunteers are following public health guidelines and finding great reception on the doors, who are happy to see somebody at their house and interested in how their lives have been for the last seven or eight months. It’s been difficult for a lot of people.”
Moe questioned again about impaired driving, fatal traffic accident
As was the case the day before, Moe faced repeated questions about his own past incidents including his impaired driving conviction from 1992 and a charge from 1994 that was stayed, and a highway traffic accident he was involved in in 1997 in which a woman was killed.
Moe maintained again he has “always been straightforward” about his past.
“I’ve not been once to hide from my past. It’s not a fun part of politics when people are reaching back decades when people were young adults, for sure,” said Moe.
He was also asked about the reaction from the son of Joanne Balog, the woman killed in the 1997 accident, who had said he felt it was “disrespectful” that Moe would not meet with him until after the election.
Moe said Thursday he would be reaching out to the family, but made it known he didn’t wish to address that incident further with the media.
“This is an event in my life that is deeply personal,” said Moe. “I won’t be addressing it again during this campaign. I asked the media yesterday to respect that and I put in that same request today.”
