Quebec Mohawks block access to Oka park
Chief demands consultations on reopening
• Mohawks of Kanesatake blocked access to Oka provincial park on Wednesday, the day it was to reopen, and demanded that authorities slow down restarting the economy.
Kanesatake Grand Chief Serge Simon said he had met with the government agency that manages Quebec parks and was told they were putting measures in place.
“I left the meeting and the first thing I saw was picnickers sitting two feet apart,” he said Wednesday morning. “I was also told only one entrance would be used. I arrived this morning and both entrances are open. They lied to me.
“I want the government to know that they can’t unilaterally decide our fate,” he said.
Simon sent a letter earlier in the week to Premier Francois Legault, urging him to keep the park closed until his community is consulted.
The letter said that “even if all proper precautions are taken, the risks of community spread in our area are too high.”
He insisted that the park and a ferry to the region remain closed “until we are consulted on any reopening of tourist services that may affect the health of our region.”
Deputy premier and Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault told reporters Wednesday that members of the cabinet were in discussions with Simon and with local public health officials.
“We understand that there are concerns in various places in Quebec, but especially in that area, about the deconfinement,” Guilbault said. “We have to try to see how we can reassure them, and how we can come to a solution,” adding that prohibiting access to the park is not the answer.
Simon said keeping COVID-19 at bay was a matter of life and death. He said 50 per cent of the community has underlying health conditions, including a high rate of diabetes. He has two daughters who are immunocompromised and was told by a doctor that if they become infected with COVID-19, the chance of survival is slim.
“I have a personal stake in this, but also a stake for the whole community,” Simon said. “If we open the economy too soon, there will be a second wave. We have to put things on pause for two weeks, at least. We need time to properly prepare.”
Simon said they’ve already turned away hundreds of people from other regions at entry points to Kanesatake territory who were trying to buy cigarettes and cannabis.
Simon said the Oka/ Hudson Ferry poses another potential threat, but he doesn’t want it to shut down completely. He just wants to make sure precautions are being taken, so that the virus doesn’t cross the water and enter the community.
Ferry owner Claude Desjardins said he has had the right to open the ferry service on April 24, because the ferry is considered an essential service, but he respected Simon’s position and plans to hold off until Monday. He said employees will wear visors, masks and gloves and the number of cars and passengers will be limited to align with distancing measures.
Also Wednesday, Quebec announced that limited outdoor gatherings will be permitted starting Friday as the province continues to record a downward trend of new COVID-19 cases.
Authorities also announced dentists, physiotherapists, massage therapists and optometrists across the province can begin operating again June 1.
Outside the greater Montreal area and the region around the city of Joliette, hair salons and other personal care businesses such as tattoo parlours can open June 1. The government still hasn’t set a date to reopen those services in the Montreal and Joliette regions.
Starting Friday, Quebecers will be allowed to host outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people, from a maximum of three families, as long as they keep a two- metre distance from one another. The province, however, had already authorized people to be outside together as long as they kept a two-metre distance.
Guilbault said authorities wanted to be more clear with Wednesday’s announcement. She said authorities had been telling people to avoid outdoor gatherings in private settings as much as possible. But, as the springtime weather improved, she said, people began increasingly meeting outside.
“So, we’re saying: Perfect, we have to be realistic. People are fed up, people want to see each other, they are getting bored. It’s nice out, it’s getting hot. We want people to get together, but now we are announcing clear rules.”
The province is starting to ease restrictions as the number of new cases of COVID-19 continues to decrease. Quebec recorded 71 new deaths from COVID-19, for a total of 3,718, and the number of total cases increased by 578 to 44,775. A total of 12,822 people are classified as recovered.