Operation Red Nose Saskatoon, a service that provides safe rides home during the holidays will be putting things on hold this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ORN Media Rep, and member of the Saskatoon Millennium Lions, Tom Armstrong says they’ve being monirtoring the situation the past few months, and to protect members and volunteers they felt it was only right to stand down this year.
Armstrong says the service has been going for 8 years, since 2012, and while it’s troubling not doing it this year, the idea of jumping into someone else’s car full of people, to give them a ride home, is just not something they’re comfortable with.

He says during the holiday season they typically give 300 rides to approximately 1000 people each year.
All the money raised, through donations, which Armstrong says has been around $9,000 the past few years, goes to youth projects in the community.

Armstrong says they will hopefully be able to operate next year, and recommends this holiday season that everyone has a designated driver or a safe ride home like public transit.