A third of Sask. residents say they plan to vote NDP with a leader other than Ryan Meili: poll

A poll focusing on Saskatchewan's politics and the pandemic was released Friday, as the provincial NDP comes to terms with Ryan Meili's recent announcement that he'll step down as party leader when a replacement is found.

A third of Saskatchewan residents said they plan to vote for the NDP in the next provincial election, even with a leader other than Meili, according to the online poll, which sampled 808 adults in Saskatchewan between Feb.19 and 23.

Meili, who has led the NDP since March 2018, announced his departure on Feb. 18.

Almost half, or 47 per cent, of the respondents said they would vote for the Saskatchewan Party if Scott Moe wasn't party leader, according to the poll. 

It also revealed that 50 per cent of respondents approve of Moe's performance as premier and party leader, compared with an approval rating of 34 per cent for Meili. 

Just over two-in-five residents trust the provincial government to release accurate and complete information about COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates to the media and public, the poll found. 

Less than half, or 48 per cent, are satisfied with the way the Saskatchewan government has dealt with COVID-19. 

Meanwhile, more than half agree with the province's decision to scrap the proof of vaccination or negative test requirement.

However, people are evenly divided on the decision to end the indoor mask mandate this coming Monday. 

A majority of Saskatchewan residents consider COVID-19 as a real threat to themselves and their family's health and safety, while just over a third think it's not a real threat, according to the poll.

It was conducted by Vancouver-based Research Co., and was initiated and crowdfunded by Saskatoon communications consultant Tammy Niklas-Robert through a GoFundMe campaign. 

We cannot accurately calculate a margin of error for online surveys. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of the same size would yield a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.