Saskatchewan Public Works Association P.O. Box 131 Saskatoon, SK S7K 3K4 Ph: (306) 232-9300 Email: [email protected] http://saskatchewan.cpwa.net/ PRESIDENT Dale Petrun Dec 29, 2020 City of Saskatoon PAST PRESIDENT To: Premier Scott Moe Andrew Stevenson ATAP Infrastructure Management Room 226, 2405 Legislative Drive Saskatoon Regina, SK, Canada, S4S 0B3 PRESIDENT – ELECT [email protected] Staci Dobrescu City of Moose Jaw CHAPTER ADMINISTRATOR The Saskatchewan Chapter of the Canadian Public Works Association is a volunteer Trina Miller group of people that work together to raise awareness of the vital work that public TREASURER works professionals do in every community in our province. Stewart Schafer City of North Battleford Today we are contacting you to strongly encourage that as you set the priority on how DIRECTORS: Dennis Hunt COVID-19 vaccines are disseminated, you are considering public works professionals. Town of Saltcoats These committed men and women in public works perform many of the critical Andrew Fahlman City of Melville responsibilities fundamental to public health such as operating and maintaining critical infrastructure services including transportation; solid waste and refuse disposal systems; George Jakeman ATS Traffic a clean and safe water supply; safe and clean public buildings, spaces and facilities; and Regina logistical efforts in setting up COVID-19 testing sites – as well as operating and Eric Quail City of Saskatoon maintaining public parks, forests and green space, which have become so important to Neeraj Sanoj Canadians in sustaining health, wellness and physical distancing. These jobs are not only City of Regina critical to the continuity of protecting the lives of all Canadians, but many are at a APWA COUNCIL OF heightened risk of contracting COVID-19 because they come into daily contact with the CHAPTERS REPRESENTATIVE public. Dale Petrun City of Saskatoon Public Safety Canada has developed a set of functions deemed essential in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic to help provinces/territories, Indigenous communities, and CPWA REPRESENTATIVE Andrew Stevenson municipalities protect their communities while maintaining the reliable operation of ATAP Infrastructure Management Saskatoon critical infrastructure services and functions to ensure the health, safety, and economic well-being of the population. This set of essential services and functions includes many SUPPLIER REPRESENTATIVE performed by the public works sector: Duncan Sutherland Paradox Access Solutions Saskatoon Workers performing mortuary services, including funeral homes, crematoriums, and CHAPTER HISTORIAN cemetery workers Vacant Employees and others needed to operate and maintain drinking water and wastewater/drainage infrastructure Employees needed to maintain and test water quality Workers required to carry out construction and restoration projects and services associated with the water sector, including building and commissioning water and wastewater systems and supporting the health and safety of users of the system Workers who maintain, ensure, or restore the compression, storage, transmission, and distribution of natural gas, including call centres, utility workers, reliability engineers and fleet maintenance technicians, etc. Saskatchewan Public Works Association P.O. Box 131 Saskatoon, SK S7K 3K4 Ph: (306) 232-9300 Email: [email protected] http://saskatchewan.cpwa.net/ Workers required to carry out construction and restoration projects and services PRESIDENT Dale Petrun associated with the natural gas sector, including for the storage, compression, City of Saskatoon transmission and distribution of natural gas PAST PRESIDENT Transportation workers in support of any emergency response Andrew Stevenson ATAP Infrastructure Management Saskatoon Transportation workers involved in construction work and necessary supporting services PRESIDENT – ELECT Staci Dobrescu Workers in organizations that provide materials and services for the operation, City of Moose Jaw maintenance and safety of the transportation system, such as clearing snow, CHAPTER ADMINISTRATOR Trina Miller collision response, and completing needed repairs to the transportation system (e.g. road repairs) TREASURER Stewart Schafer Automotive and heavy vehicle repair and maintenance workers City of North Battleford Public/mass transportation workers, including those with maintenance, operations, DIRECTORS: Dennis Hunt and dispatch responsibilities Town of Saltcoats Workers who support the operation, inspection, and maintenance of essential Andrew Fahlman City of Melville public works facilities and operations, including dams, bridges, heating and cooling George Jakeman plants, water and sewer main breaks, fleet maintenance personnel, construction of ATS Traffic Regina critical or strategic infrastructure, structural engineering, geomatics, custodial Eric Quail health and safety requirements, environmental compliance, integrity of City of Saskatoon underground infrastructure, management of non-hazardous solid waste, traffic Neeraj Sanoj City of Regina signal maintenance, emergency location services for buried utilities, maintenance of APWA COUNCIL OF digital systems infrastructure supporting public works operations, and other CHAPTERS REPRESENTATIVE emergent issues Dale Petrun City of Saskatoon Workers to ensure continuity of government property and building management Municipal employees who support essential functions, support systems and CPWA REPRESENTATIVE Andrew Stevenson services, and communications networks ATAP Infrastructure Management Saskatoon Municipal employees who support the policy, program and operational systems and services needed to ensure the business continuity of government and the economic SUPPLIER REPRESENTATIVE Duncan Sutherland security of Canadians Paradox Access Solutions Saskatoon Waste and Garbage collectors and processors (compost, garbage and recycling) CHAPTER HISTORIAN We support the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) December 4, Vacant 2020 Guidance on the prioritization of initial doses of COVID-19 vaccine(s) recommending that initial doses of authorized COVID-19 vaccine(s) be offered to residents and all staff of congregate living settings that provide care for seniors; adults of advanced age; health care workers; and adults living in Indigenous communities. NACI’s guidance recommends that essential workers be vaccinated in ‘Stage 2’ as additional COVID-19 vaccine supplies become available. We respectfully request that public works professionals be included among essential workers. Sadly, essential workers have been stretched to the breaking point while being asked to carry out their responsibilities, over the course of nearly 10 months, and concurrently maintain peak Saskatchewan Public Works Association P.O. Box 131 Saskatoon, SK S7K 3K4 Ph: (306) 232-9300 Email: [email protected] http://saskatchewan.cpwa.net/ PRESIDENT Dale Petrun mental and physical health and conditioning to ward off susceptibility to COVID-19. City of Saskatoon PAST PRESIDENT Everyone in the province appreciates all the hard work done so far in managing this Andrew Stevenson ATAP Infrastructure Management unprecedented pandemic. As we look forward to 2021 and the arrival of vaccines, we Saskatoon still must be vigilant with following protocols to ensure everyone’s safety. We welcome PRESIDENT – ELECT the opportunity to discuss our request in greater detail at your convenience. Thank you Staci Dobrescu for your time in considering our request. City of Moose Jaw CHAPTER ADMINISTRATOR Trina Miller Respectfully Submitted, TREASURER Stewart Schafer City of North Battleford DIRECTORS: Dennis Hunt Town of Saltcoats Andrew Fahlman City of Melville Dale Petrun George Jakeman President, Saskatchewan Chapter ATS Traffic Regina Canadian Public Works Association Eric Quail City of Saskatoon Neeraj Sanoj City of Regina APWA COUNCIL OF CHAPTERS REPRESENTATIVE Dale Petrun City of Saskatoon CPWA REPRESENTATIVE Andrew Stevenson ATAP Infrastructure Management Saskatoon SUPPLIER REPRESENTATIVE Duncan Sutherland Paradox Access Solutions Saskatoon CHAPTER HISTORIAN Vacant .