North Dakota says deal hasn't yet been struck to vaccinate Manitoba teachers, school staff

The office of the governor of North Dakota says no official deal has been struck to permit Manitoba teachers and school staff to drive into that state for vaccinations against COVID-19.

Premier Brian Pallister announced the idea Thursday as an addition to an existing program for truckers.

A spokesman for North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum told CBC News in an email Friday that Burgum is "receptive to the concept" and details are being worked out to "determine feasibility," but said no official deal had been struck.

North Dakota is hoping to have information about the deal to release next week, the spokesperson said.

According to North Dakota data, the state has received 599,935 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and administered 543,451 doses. So it has 56,484 doses left in stock as of Friday.

Manitoba, meanwhile, has received 583,790 doses of vaccine and administered 474,345 doses, data shows. So there are 109,445 doses in stock as of Friday.

Earlier this week, Manitoba Education Minister Cliff Cullen said the province takes advice from the vaccine task force about who should be eligible. But he blamed Ottawa for not providing more vaccine doses as the reason why such a deal with North Dakota is necessary.

Pallister has also pinned blame on Manitoba's vaccine rollout on low supply from the federal government.

But given that Manitoba has nearly double the amount of vaccine in stock than North Dakota, Opposition NDP Leader Wab Kinew questions why teachers are being sent across the border to be vaccinated.

"It doesn't make a lot of sense to me," he said.

"Teachers work in Manitoba. They pay taxes in Manitoba. They provide education in Manitoba, which I think we all realize how important that is. And yet they're not being prioritized by the Manitoba government under Mr. Pallister. Instead, North Dakota is being asked to prioritize them."

The plan aims to get more vaccines into the arms of Manitobans, Pallister's spokesperson told CBC News, citing the deal for Manitoba truckers as an example.

The spokesperson did not provide an answer for what the rationale would be for sending teachers to North Dakota instead of prioritizing all teachers locally.

They also did not answer how much the program would cost and how it would be paid for. 

The federal government has told Manitoba its willing to pursue expanding the potential initiative, and discussions are ongoing with both federal and North Dakota officials, the spokesperson said.

But the plan would require the federal government to exempt teachers from the mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement for travellers.

Pallister says the self-isolation period would be lifted for teachers and education staff who cross the border for vaccination.

But the federal health minister's office appears noncommittal so far, and says the quarantine requirement is part of the effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

When asked about the North Dakota deal in Ottawa on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said conversations are "still very much ongoing around waiving quarantine requirements."

"That's something I think all Canadians have a little concern around," Trudeau said. "The initial desire to get people who were crossing the border already, like truck drivers and others vaccinated in [North] Dakota, didn't require any waiving of quarantines.… We will continue those conversations."

A spokesperson for Health Minister Patty Hajdu also says some provinces have prioritized education workers for domestic vaccines, and Manitoba has received more than a half-million doses so far.