The leader of Saskatchewan’s official opposition says they’ve been left in the dark for sometime when it comes to communication from the Ministry of Health or chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab in regards to the pandemic.

NDP Leader Ryan Meili says the information they receive is essentially the same as what the public is given.

“We don’t have a direct line (of communication) from the ministry or Dr. Shahab. On occasion, I will reach out, but they have, early on in the pandemic they were giving us regular updates but we don’t get that. The reality is our information is the same as yours.”

Meili says on numerous occasions, his party has sent letters and have spoken in the house about creating a special committee comprised of members from all parties and brings in leadership from all sectors including the business community, municipal representatives and First Nations leaders.

The NDP leader is also concerned with Dr. Shahab urging residents to avoid gathering together over the next few weeks, unless it’s for work or school purposes, while the government doesn’t implement any official restrictions relating to gatherings.

“To me, that just shows we got a premier who isn’t listening to experts, has ignored medical health officers, has ignored Dr. Shahab and it’s really damaging. It send mixed messages, it means people see a situation minimized or down played.”

Meili added that Premier Scott Moe will always put politics ahead of people. Meili fears Saskatchewan will see a much worse fifth wave than what could be due to a lack of public health orders.