Riders tickets, scholarships among incentives Sask. NDP suggests to help boost vaccination rates
NDP opposition leader Ryan Meili is calling on the Saskatchewan Party to revisit its position on vaccine incentives.
“We need a government that's willing even to start the conversation. What’s going to actually work to incentivize people?,” said Sasksatchewan NDP leader Ryan Meili.
Saskatchewan is closing in on third and final vaccination target of the provincial government's reopening road map.
As of Monday, 69 per cent of Saskatchewan residents 18 years and older have received their first dose – one per cent shy of the 70 per cent threshold for Step Three of the plan.
University of Saskatchewan professor of epidemiology Cory Neudorf feels the province is moving too fast.
He would be more comfortable with a target of 80 to 85 per cent of the population. His model also includes children under 12, while the province’s current reopening strategy doesn’t.
“The concern is if the numbers haven’t increased higher than that 70 per cent by the time the fall hits than we’re really open to a fourth wave hitting.”
The NDP is proposing a “Last Mile Strategy,” which includes a vaccine lottery and other prizes like scholarships or Saskatchewan Roughriders tickets. The official opposition also has other elements which they feel could spur vaccine uptake, including a $25,000 vaccine lottery.
We need to be doing a better job coordinating, booking vaccines. Making it easier for people to get that vaccine,” said Meili. “Returning to that initial approach where seniors, healthcare providers, getting that phone call saying it’s time for you to get that vaccine.”
Both of Saskatchewan's neighbour provinces are running vaccine lotteries. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced a lottery over the weekend.
However, Ken Coates, a public policy professor with the University of Saskatchewan, questions if a lottery would work.
“It won’t get us as far as we really want to go, perhaps even need to go. But it is better than standing still and having people just lecture individuals and say please just go get a vaccine?”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.