Moose Jaw Police Chief Rick Bourassa is frustrated that police are not being prioritized to receive the COVID-19 vaccine since he believes they should be considered front-line workers.
The provincial government announced recently that phase 2 of the vaccine rollout would vaccinate residents based on their age. The first group of people to receive the shot includes those from ages 60 to 69, then decreasing by 10-year increments.
Bourassa became fired up talking about the situation during the Board of Police Commissioners meeting on Feb. 11.
When the state of emergency was first declared last March, the provincial government put responsibility for enforcement of public health orders squarely on police, Bourassa said. The Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) took on that duty and has continued to enforce those orders ever since. The data shows that the organization has responded to many pandemic-related calls, even though not all public interactions are recorded.
“Our front-line officers — every day — are responding to situations in the middle of the pandemic in which they’re exposed,” Bourassa continued. “We’ve had isolations; we’ve had quarantines. We’ve had all sorts of things that have gone on, not only here, but across the province.”
The MJPS has been fortunate since there have been only a few times where officers have isolated themselves after engaging with the public. This forced the organization to call in officers to cover shifts. It also moved to its deferred readiness plan, which keeps non-exposed officers isolated so they can be brought in if necessary.
The police service is concerned about its ability to provide community safety during the pandemic and respond to every situation it’s called about, the police chief said. Since the MJPS is an enforcement arm for the provincial government during the pandemic, he was dissatisfied that phase 2 does not recognize that work and bases the qualifications strictly on age.
The Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police — of which Bourassa is president — has regularly informed the rollout committee about the important work front-line officers have performed and continue to perform throughout the pandemic. The association has said community safety will erode without officers’ presence, along with the ability to enforce public health orders.
“We’re doing everything we can to prevent that from happening. We believe front-line police officers should be prioritized for vaccination because of that critical function we play in containing this pandemic as much as it can be contained,” Bourassa said.
“We are disappointed that that was not considered. We are disappointed that we were discussed at one point as just an interest group. We are not an interest group in this.”
Bourassa pointed out that many police services are comprised of officers in younger age groups, which means these members will likely be vaccinated last. This is concerning, he continued, so the police association will continue to speak with the provincial government to help it understand what the stakes are for not prioritizing front-line officers.
While few people would notice if office-bound police members disappeared for a while, many communities across the province “would notice in a flash” if their working officers suddenly vanished, he added. There have been many detachments throughout Saskatchewan that have not had the manpower during the pandemic, so ensuring police get the vaccine is vital.
The next Board of Police Commissioners meeting is Thursday, March 9.
