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The Canadian Press says Saskatchewan unexpectedly asked the federal government for help at the height of the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The news service obtained documents under Freedom of Information laws that show employees at Public Safety Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces were surprised when Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merriman sent a letter to then-federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu requesting help on Oct. 18, 2021.
The request was unexpected because Merriman earlier had turned down an offer for federal support. The emails showed there wasn’t any indication in meetings with Saskatchewan that a formal request would be on the horizon.
Officials were also confused because the request came into Hajdu’s office, instead of the usual method of sending it to Public Safety Canada.
In late September and early October of that year, Saskatchewan saw COVID-related hospitalizations and ICU admissions reaching record levels. On Oct. 18, for example, the government announced there were 85 people in intensive care units around the province — the highest number reported by the province during the pandemic.
During the fourth wave, Saskatchewan’s Provincial Emergency Operations Centre also put out requests across North America through partners in the Northern Emergency Management Assistance Compact for staff that could be redeployed to Saskatchewan.
That included provinces like Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta, and states like Illinois, Montana, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Minnesota, Ohio, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
On Oct. 23, members of the Canadian Armed Forces were deployed to Saskatchewan to help with COVID case counts and near-capacity ICUs across the province.
“We have approved a request for federal assistance to support the people of Saskatchewan,” Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said in a Tweet announcing the assistance. “We will always be there to support Canadians.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also tweeted about the deployment of armed forces.
“As we work to finish the fight against COVID-19, we’re going to make sure people across the country have the support they need to stay safe. Saskatchewanians, we’ve got your back,” he said.
Saskatchewan eventually transferred 27 patients to hospitals in Ontario to ease the strain on its health-care facilities and intensive care units in 2021.
The Saskatchewan government hadn’t responded to a request for comment from The Canadian Press at the time of publication.
— With files from The Canadian Press