REGINA, Sask. — The provincial government has introduced The Mandatory Testing and Disclosure (Bodily Substances) Amendment Act for first reading.
The changes, which were pledged in the Speech from the Throne earlier this week, were introduced Thursday in the legislature.
On Friday, the government held a media event at Regina Police Service headquarters where Justice Minister and Attorney General Tim McLeod outlined details of the changes. The event also included representatives from police, fire and other emergency services.
McLeod said the act is aimed at protecting first responders such as police officers, paramedics, firefighters and correctional workers who might be exposed to bodily substances that carry risks of infectious diseases such as hepatitis B or C or HIV.
“People facing a potentially infectious exposure should not experience unnecessary delays in obtaining information that may be important to their care,” said McLeod.
He said the proposed amendments will “improve the efficiency of obtaining testing orders from the Court of King's Bench and receiving test results, helping ensure timely information is available to support their medical decisions. In some circumstances, treatment decisions must be made within a very short period of time following exposure. For example, post-exposure treatment for HIV is most effective when started quickly.”
McLeod said the amendments are aimed at removing unnecessary barriers that can delay access to testing orders and providing courts with greater flexibility when urgency is a factor. The amendments will also strengthen compliance and enforcement mechanisms and address situations not clearly covered under the current legislation.
“Together these changes will help exposed individuals obtain testing orders and results more efficiently while preserving appropriate safeguards,” said McLeod. “Those safeguards remain fundamental to ensure that we are appropriately balancing the health and safety of exposed individuals with the privacy rights of those subjects to testing orders.”
As for what type of changes would be coming under the new act, McLeod said the biggest one is that the court application “can be made on an ex parte basis as the default position for these applications.”
“Previously, you had to apply to the court for permission for it to be an ex parte application, so now these applications will be heard by default as an ex parte application, which will expedite the process and we're hoping that the results will be available for the exposed individuals within a matter of hours as opposed to a few days.”
He said the proposed amendments are in response to concerns raised by the Saskatchewan Police Services and other partners about delays in the current process.
Regina Police Service deputy chief Trent Stevely thanked the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General and the Ministry of Community Safety for introducing the amendments.
“Every shift, our frontline officers throughout the province, alongside fellow first responders, put themselves in high-risk situations to keep communities safe and maintain public safety.”
The main thing the changes will accomplish, according to RPS, is peace of mind for first responders.
Stevely said the changes will mean “quicker access to the testing orders and the results” than had been the case before.
“Of course with that, it's reducing the anxiety, the emotional toll, you know, physical anxiety on waiting on these results, and having the person, the source individual, actually be tested.”
Stevely said this sort of situation where testing is required might happen perhaps half a dozen times a year with the police force. He said the “unknown is one of our biggest fears, so we're really excited about this, really happy for it, and I think it's nothing but a positive thing for our frontline members and all first responders.”
