Premier Moe reflects on pandemic and preps for 'different' Christmas

Everythingchanged in Saskatchewan on March 12. It's a dayPremier Scott Moe is unlikely to forget.

Moe was inOttawa to attend the first minister's meeting with Canada's premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

At 9:35 a.m. CST, Moe releaseda statement officially ending speculation of a springelection.

At 10:30 a.m. CST, the Junosthat were supposed to take place in Saskatoon the next weekendwere cancelled by event organizers. Ten minutes later, the Saskatchewan government announced the province had its first case of COVID-19.

Trudeau cancelled his meeting with the premiers that morning. Later that evening he revealed his wife Sophie had contracted COVID-19.

"The day or two after that we realized this is probably going to be something like we have never seen before and it was likely coming a little quicker and going to be a little more intense than anyone had first anticipated," Moe said in ayear-end interview with CBC.

Within days, Moe's government would move schools to online-learning, enact a state of emergency, order the closure of non-essential businesses, and limit public and private gathering sizes.

Saskatchewan's first major outbreak of COVID-19 cases was linked to a snowmobile rally and dinner held in Christopher Lake on March 14. Eventually, more than 20 cases would be linked to that single event.

"I had friends that were up at that rally and ultimately did test positive. And some of their family members later also tested positive," Moe said.

Moe said he,like many people in the province, knows people who havetested positive for the virus and even been hospitalized.

"I've hada number of friends that haveself-isolated more recently due to some of the outbreaks that we've had in our community centre in town. My wife and I had to isolate due to visiting a restaurant," Moe said.

"We haven't experienced fatalities, but it isn't lost on me that families have."

WatchMoe's year-end interview here:

Premier Scott Moe looks back on 2020

4 years ago

Duration 7:43

Provincial Affairs reporter Adam Hunter sits down with Premier Scott Moe to look back on the year and the conversation kicked off with what the premier remembers about when COVID-19 hit the province

The last nine months

Since March,decisions made and not made by Moe's government have drawncriticism.

"I think we have made as gooddecisions as we can in this province, given what we know at the time."

He said he is aware that there are people who want things to be restricted more and others who want the opposite.

With case numbers rising in November, the Opposition NDP,442 Saskatchewan doctors and other health organizationsasked for a circuit-breaker or short-term shutdown.

At the time, the province's per capita cases were third in the country, behind its two prairie neighbours.

Moe said measures introduced in late November by the government, including suspending sports and activities, reducing gathering limits and a province-wide mask mandate, have worked to slow the spread of the virus.

"I think that was the time to move on the restrictions. Some would argue they should have been a week earlier. Some would think they shouldn't be in place yet," Moe said.

"What we want to see now in the weeks ahead is for our hospitalization numbers to start to take a downward trajectory. That would be very, very helpful not only to have less folks in their dealing, receiving treatment for COVID,but also more capacity for other hospital procedures that people will need as well."

Moe said one of the impacts of COVID-19 on him personally is the time away from home. With regular news conferences throughout the summer and then an election campaign Moe has had a busy year.

During the campaign, the sons of a woman killed in a 1997 highway crashwith Moe came forward, saying they did not know he had beenthe driver involved in the fatal crash. After they came forward, Moe saidhe would speak with the family privately following the campaign.

In October, Moe led the Saskatchewan Party to a convincing fourth-straight election victory. His victory speech did not feature the usual celebrations and COVID-19 restrictions prevented a large gathering typical of an election party.

Moe said all the time away from home "does take a toll on a person."

"My wife and I have had to change how we approach the time that we do have together. Andwe block it outquite ambitiously."

Moe said he and his wife Krista walk and cross-country ski to stay active and take their minds off things.

Moe said he has been able to look back on the last nine months with a greater appreciation for the people of the province.

"Theyhave stepped forward and said, 'yes, we will take these minor inconveniences each and every day to keep the broader population safe.'"

Mental health and addictions

The COVID-19 pandemic has overshadowed surging overdose numbers in Saskatchewan. Asof Dec. 1, there were 323 suspected overdose deaths in the province. The previous high was 171 in 2018.

Moe saidaddictions and other mental healthproblems are not directly related to the pandemic,but"indirectly, very, very much related to the entire COVID experience."

"They aren't statistics. They are people and family members," Moe said."What starts as quite often a mental health issue can develop into an addiction issue. And far too many times resulting in an overdose statistic, which is the loss of a family member."

This summer, Moe was criticized for not meeting with Tristen Durocher directly. Durocher walked 635 kilometres from Air Ronge to Regina and held a 44-day ceremonial fast on the lawn across from the legislative building. The44 days were in reference to the 44 Saskatchewan Party MLAs who voted against an NDPsuicide prevention private members' bill in the spring.

The government failed in its attemptto get Durocher's camp removed from the park through a court injunction before his fast was over.

"The conversation that Mr. Durocher had elevated, that was important and for that, I'm thankful," Moe said.

"Whether the government handled it in the right way or not is not really the question to ask. It's whether we actually take concrete steps as a government, as a society, as individuals with our family members that may be contemplating things like suicide."

Moe said the issue of suicide prevention will get more attention over the next three to five years.

"Most certainly we have to start taking, will continue to take, steps sooner than even that."

A 'different' Christmas

As of Dec. 17, the government restricted most private gatherings to household members only.

The measure will be in place until at least Jan.15.

Earlier this month, Moe said he had hoped to loosen restrictions for the holidays, allowing private gatheringsizes to increase slightly. The consistently high daily case numbers and subsequent hospitalizations prevented that.

Moe called the decisions "necessary," even if they are unpopular.

"Those sacrifices are not necessarily to keep myself safe, but they're necessary to keep those around me that are susceptible to far more negative outcomes of this disease, say my parents, for example. I think of them often. I have aunts and uncles that this would be very detrimental if they were to contract COVID."

Moe said he and his wife will have one of their two children home for Christmas, as they had been isolating for 14 days.

He said he would have to see his other child on a walk or somewhere outside the home.

"Our Christmas is going to look different, like everyone else's is. And that is going to, in my mind, allow me to do everything I can to keep those that I care about safe."

Moe said his family is healthy, but that others in the province are not as fortunate and might have loved ones isolated in a long-term care facility.

"I think the sacrifice that I am making pales in comparison to what many Saskatchewan people are making this holiday season."