Majority of Sask. residents think Premier Moe has done a bad job handling the pandemic, survey suggests

The majority of Saskatchewan residents think Premier Scott Moe has done a "bad job" or "very bad job" handling the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new survey carried out by the Angus Reid Institute in partnership with CBC.

The online survey polled a representative randomized sample of 2,550 Canadians 18 and over from March 1 to 4 of this year. The survey polled 155 Saskatchewan residents. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

According to the poll, 32 per cent of Saskatchewan residents think Moe has done a "very bad job," and 21 per cent think he has done a "bad job" on the COVID file, considering the last two years as a whole.

Twelve per cent of respondents said Moe has done a "very good job" and 33 per cent said he has done a "good job." The rest of the respondents said they don't know or couldn't say.

Saskatchewan was the first province to drop all COVID-19 measures on Feb. 28. COVID-related hospitalizations remain high, with 339 people in hospital with COVID-19 as of March 9. The province no longer publicly shares daily COVID information.

Last fall, the province was ravaged by the fourth wave, fuelled by the Delta variant, with COVID-19-related hospitalizations and ICU admissions surging across the province. Saskatchewan would eventually record 156 COVID-related deaths in Oct., the deadliest month of the pandemic, and transfer 27 COVID ICU patients to Ontario. 

The majority of Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario residents who participated in the survey also said their premiers have done a poor job handling the pandemic.  

The survey also found that 56 per cent of Saskatchewan residents think Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab has done a "good" or "very good job" handling the pandemic.

When asked what best describes their feelings about the removal of restrictions, 40 per cent of Saskatchewan respondents said they feel restrictions were lifted "too quickly," compared to 36 per cent who said it was "the right time" and 24 per cent who said "too slowly."

Sixty-seven per cent of Saskatchewan respondents said they support wearing a mask in indoor spaces, 60 per cent support vaccine passports, 60 per cent said they will stick with social distancing, and 47 per cent said they'll continue to avoid large gatherings. 

Respondents from Saskatchewan and Alberta were the most likely to report that they found themselves in conflict or an awkward moment with family or friends over masking and getting vaccinated.