(File photo/ northeastNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Anti-lockdown

Actions of staff member at Melfort long term care home questioned, following participation in ‘Freedom’ rally

Apr 30, 2021 | 5:00 PM

On the heels of a Saskatoon school caretaker being called out for his involvement at Freedom rallies held in Prince Albert and Saskatoon, a staff member at a long-term care home in Melfort is also being singled out.

paNOW has learned Jackie Marshall, a receptionist at Parkland Place, was one of upwards of 100 people who attended a rally in Prince Albert on April 17. Protestors denounced the restrictions and downplayed the seriousness of the pandemic.

The beliefs of the group would directly contradict the workplace rules Marshall would be required to follow to ensure the safety of residents, fellow staff members, and visitors.

A photo taken of Marshall with Bert Winteringham, who has also been called out for his involvement in the Freedom rallies. (Submitted photo)

A photo taken of Marshall with Mark Friesen, a member of the Peoples’ Party of Canada. (Submitted photo)

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Several people in the community and the healthcare field, have reached out to paNOW expressing their discomfort with Marshall’s actions. paNOW attempted to contact Marshall for comment but received no response by the publishing deadline. According to a post on Marshall’s Facebook page, she questions when people lost faith in God, and asks why people don’t see what is really going on.

“We are living in a world of people who are willing to sell themselves out for the lies that are fed to the world about a (sic) another flu season which has been dragged out for over a year,” she wrote.

The social media post also referred to the ‘whole virus situation” as the “pure evil of elites” who Marshall claimed have chosen to put “us” in communism, and left “us” waiting for health care.

“My faith in God is way more than any belief in our government or Healthcare at this point,” she said.

Response from the union

Staff at the facility, including Marshall, are members of the Saskatchewan Government Employees’ Union (SGEU). In a statement provided to paNOW, SGEU explained their members have been dedicated to working on the frontlines since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing high-quality care to patients, residents and clients in long-term care, home care and acute care.

“All members are expected to abide by public health orders put in place by government, and to follow all safety protocols in their workplace. It’s important for all of us to do everything necessary to keep safe and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” the statement said. “Views expressed otherwise are not shared by SGEU.”

What’s been the recourse?

As of Friday, no tickets have been issued by police with respect to the event April 17- police only confirming it’s still under review. A statement from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) indicated public health continues the contact tracing investigation related to the event.

“We are not able to provide additional details about the number of cases. There have been challenges in identifying all close contacts as well as to have individuals tested. We encourage anyone who attended the event to get tested if they have any symptoms,” the SHA said.

On April 23, the SHA said a person or persons attended the rally while infectious, and called on those who were at the event to self-isolate immediately. In an attempt to somewhat cool tensions with city officials, and in response to the order from the SHA, organizers shifted gears and held a drive-by event last weekend. Prince Albert Police confirmed no tickets were issued for that event.

In a statement from the NDP, they said the government should “absolutely” be looking at ways to strengthen penalties.

“We are deeply concerned about these rallies and share the outrage of Saskatchewan citizens that people are putting their neighbours and co-workers at risk,” the statement said.

The SHA was able to confirm that as a result of the recent rallies, they are consulting with government on what can be done to ensure stronger and more consistent punitive actions are taken to ensure compliance with public health restrictions.

“In general, the SHA is highly concerned that these so called “Freedom” rallies and anti-masking events organized to protest public health precautions feed conspiracy theories and misinformation. They also send the false message that our health care workers at the front line are somehow faking or making up the loss of life and trauma occurring as a result of COVID. This is not only offensive but dangerous, as it publicly downplays the significant risk of harm and death created by community transmission of this virus.”

The SHA said they could not discuss whether there has been any communication with Marshall.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell