Northern officials mull when, if they’ll loosen restrictions
North Saskatchewan towns and First Nations that implemented travel restrictions early in the pandemic are now weighing how to be the last to lift them.
As hair salons and malls cautiously crack open their doors across the province, these remote communities are considering when — and if — to loosen the restrictions on travel into their area.
“First Nations communities have done a great job of keeping this virus out,” Health Canada medical health officer Dr. Ibrahim Khan said. “But any premature attempts to open the services and programs without any of these interventions in place can lead to outbreaks like La Loche, and push us into confinement.”
The province is currently operating checkpoints restricting non-critical travel throughout Saskatchewan’s northwest. But First Nations throughout the province have put in place their own pandemic plans, which include suspending on-reserve programming and non-essential travel into the communities.
As of Friday morning, Indigenous Services Canada had confirmed 48 cases of COVID-19 on First Nations in Saskatchewan — the most out of any province, but still relatively low. The statistic does not include Indigenous people living in municipalities like La Loche.
Richard Ben, the Tribal Chief of the Meadow Lake Tribal Council, said it’s ultimately an individual choice for each First Nation.
He said the nine members of his council, who live across the hardhit northwest of the province, have no plans to loosen access.
“My chiefs feel it’s too premature to open up Saskatchewan,” Ben said. “The virus could make a comeback into our communities.”
That comes at no small cost. Ben said Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation, where he lives, has had to hire extra security to maintain the checkpoint, steadily depleting the band’s coffers.
Cautious northern municipalities also have some emergency grounds to control movement — and their own tough questions to weigh.
Municipalities wishing for longer safety restrictions can and will keep them, noted Bruce Fidler, the president of regional advocacy group New North.
The wrinkle there is how to approach maintaining emergency local restrictions while provincial highways run through towns, New North CEO Matt Heley wrote in an email.
In any event, Buffalo Narrows chief administrative officer Ashraful Alam said eyes are on the provincial government. If it lifted restrictions, he doubts there would be any checkpoints left, he said.
“If the province comes and tells me they’re lifting the order tomorrow morning, I will remove that checkpoint tomorrow morning.”
Meanwhile, roughly 300 kilometres east of Prince Albert, Cumberland House announced travel was permitted, with some precautions, as the province lifted northeastern restrictions on Tuesday. That morning, its mayor, Kelvin Mckay,
was worried about what may follow any easing of public health restrictions.
It would be hard to contain cooped up residents after the province relaxes measures, he said, noting the limits of local emergency powers.
“When we call a local state of emergency, there’s hardly any backbone to that as in law. It’s got to do with the province,” he said. “As soon as the province lifts or weakens, we have to address that.”