Travel restrictions cause headaches

CALEB NICKERSON
PONTIAC April 29, 2020
The travel restrictions that have been in place since the start of the month are starting to grate on some residents of the Pontiac. Initially, there was widespread confusion when the measures restricting travel outside of the individual regions of the Outaouais were hastily announced on the morning of April 1, and enforced that afternoon with police checkpoints.
Prior to the travel restrictions coming into force, the municipal leaders of the Outaouais, including Pontiac Warden Jane Toller, had requested that the provincial government implement the changes to protect the region’s fragile health care system and aging population.
But after almost a month, the lockdown has complicated the lives of many residents.
Allumette Island farmer David Gillespie does quite a bit of business across the river in Pembroke, whether it’s purchasing parts or diesel fuel, as there are limited options in the Pontiac.
“It’s funny, we all used to call it the bridge here, now it’s the border,” he said.
While he hasn’t been turned away personally, Gillespie said that he knows of other farmers who have, and added that it usually comes down to the individual officer’s discretion as to whether the trip is “essential” or not.
“I’m not blaming the cops, because it’s changing day by day,” he said. “We need two things, one is communication, proper communication and interpretation of the directives. If they’re properly communicated too, there should be no problem.”
He added that services from Ontario are cutting back on delivery to Quebec, due to the new rules.
“Here’s another example, yes I can get farm diesel in Shawville, but I have a contract for it in Pembroke and they do not allow you to go from one supplier to another,” he said. “Some of them will no longer transport their material across the bridge, because it’s too complicated, so now you have to go get it … It complicates my life.”
One of the changes made over the course of the restrictions was the threat of a mandatory 14 day quarantine for those caught flouting the directive.
Local police Sgt. Yves Martineau said that people caught making non-essential trips outside the MRC have been ordered into quarantine, and there have been fines given out for those that don’t stay home. He added that they’ve also had to give out fines for people gathering in groups, typically on the weekends.
Contacted by The Equity after conducting a checkpoint in Bristol on Friday afternoon, Martineau said that in the course of about two hours he stopped close to 200 vehicles and had to turn away between 15 and 20.
“It’s people coming from the city because they want to rake the yard of their cottage … or things like that,” he said. “We tell them no, it’s not essential so you have to go home and stay home … A lot of people are 70 and up. They’re the most vulnerable people but they’re not staying home because they think it’s not for them really.”
He added that just like any other traffic stop or call, his officers have the discretion to choose what level of punishment fits the offence.
MRC des Collines Police put out a statement on social media on April 25, clarifying that residents of their region, which includes the Municipality of Pontiac, are allowed to travel to Gatineau and vice versa. However, MRC Pontiac remains closed to all but essential services.
The Des Collines Police had a similar rate of turning back vehicles to Martineau’s estimate, at just over eight per cent.
Gillespie questioned the need for a quarantine after conducting cross-border shopping, since most businesses are taking plenty of precautions.
“The stuff I had to get in Pembroke is curbside pickup only,” he said. “So as far as health care issues, there’s no danger whatsoever.”
He questioned why someone conducting essential business in Pembroke couldn’t also pick up groceries there, since driving to the next closest community, Mansfield, would could potentially spread the virus further.
A local health care worker, who requested that The Equity withhold her name due to the nature of the topic, expressed her frustration at the headaches that the travel restrictions have caused, especially for people with families. She pointed out that there are a very small number of grocery stores for the all the residents of 18 municipalities to do their shopping.
“We have a lot of dépanneurs … but you can’t do groceries there, we’re very much limited,” she said. “There’s lineups all the time. By the time you go in, there’s nothing. I’ve always encouraged shopping local, but there’s only so many things that you can get.”
She agreed with Gillespie that as long as proper precautions are taken, shopping in Ontario isn’t a large risk to the region’s health and added that the uneven enforcement of the rules has been aggravating.
“Every grocery store, whether it’s Pembroke or Renfrew or the ones in the city, they are using the same precautions as here,” she said. “They wipe all the carts, sanitize the hands. If we had the permission and wear a mask, we’d all be fine if we could go… it’s not a problem.”
She added that some of her colleagues with young children have had problems purchasing things like specific types of diapers or milk products. Clothing and shoes for rapidly growing children are also difficult to buy locally. Online orders can take weeks to show up and are often very pricey.
The source said that confining people to this region is one more stress factor on top of all the other problems that she, her colleagues and neighbours have to deal with.
“It’s in the human nature to get frustrated,” she said. “You can’t be with your families, everyone’s getting depressed and now you can’t even do your shopping, you can’t get what you need for your kids.”
She said that though the low number of cases in the region was an encouraging sign, the travel restrictions were likely causing harm as well.
“When [you’re stressed] …you can get physically sick too,” she said. “It goes together.”