Americans cut off from Lake Erie’s Pelee Island
The streets of Pelee Island, typically uncrowded even on busy summer Saturdays, are nearly empty. The restaurants are closed or operating at significantly reduced hours. Most houses remain unoccupied.
This usually sleepy island remains in deep slumber while everyone waits for the Americans to return.
The Americans, many of whom reside in Ohio, are waiting to return as well.
“It’s extremely disappointing to not be able to get there,” said Matthew Abbey of Medina, a longtime Pelee Islander. His grandparents owned property on the island, his parents met there. He and his wife typically spend every warm-weather weekend at the family cottage.
“We don’t look at it as a vacation destination,” he said. “We honestly look at it as our home.”
A home they’ve unable to access for months.
Pelee, located about 20 miles off the Ohio mainland in Canadian waters, has been off-limits to most Americans since the closure of the Canadian-U.S. border in mid-March, an effort to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
It’s the first time since Canada became a country in 1867 that the border between the two nations has been closed to most travelers, a decision that is dramatically affecting tourism, as well as other forms of travel, from New Brunswick to British Columbia.
Originally set to expire on June 21, the border closure is likely to be extended for another month, according to published reports.
In addition to the border closure, the ferry that transports travelers from Sandusky to Pelee isn’t running until July 1 at the earliest, providing yet another obstacle for both homeowners and tourists who are eager to access the island.
The ferry is still running from the Canadian side of Lake Erie, but the Canadian government has prohibited non-essential ferry service in the region through June 30, including “activities related to tourism and recreation.” So many Canadians are not supposed to make the trip either, although Canadian property owners are permitted to go.
Griffing Flying Serivce, which typically makes the 15-minute flight from Port Clinton to Pelee several times daily, hopes to resume service as soon as late June, if the border reopens. However, the Pelee Port of Entry also needs to reopen before flights can resume, and it’s unclear when that will happen, said Shelbi Neidler, a dispatcher for the company.
Service to Pelee represents the biggest share of summertime business for Griffing, which also flies to the U.S. islands.
At roughly 16 square miles, Pelee is the largest of the Lake Erie islands – roughly four times the size of Kelleys Island, the second biggest.
Pelee, with a year-round population of about 300, attracts several thousand summertime visitors – far fewer than nearby Put-in-Bay and Kelleys islands, both in U.S. waters.
There are just a handful of restaurants, places to stay and attractions on Pelee, and that’s exactly how the locals like it.
Among the island’s attributes: birding, biking, boating and fishing. There are numerous parks, a small history museum, a winery, art gallery and a handful of retail outlets.
“There are no paved roads, no stoplights, one gas pump,” said Abbey. “It’s like stepping back in time. It’s amazingly secluded and isolated. You really feel like you’re 1,000 miles away, but you’re 50 miles from Cleveland.”
More than half of island homeowners are Americans, which gives Pelee an international vibe.
Earlier this spring, some residents expressed concern about reopening the island to visitors from the U.S., in particular, where the virus has spread more quickly and widely than in Canada. According to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, no Pelee residents have tested positive for COVID-19.
In recent weeks, however, more islanders seem to be longing for what passes for a busy day on Pelee. American visitors pay taxes, support charities, spend money at local businesses.
“Our streets are empty,” said Joe Hagg, who owns the Bakery, a small café on the north side of the island. His business is open, but with significantly reduced hours. “Business on Pelee is far from normal. We are staying optimistic that we can salvage some kind of season here on Pelee once border restrictions are lifted.”
Cathy Miller, who owns the Wandering Dog Inn with husband Kevin Miller, said she hopes to reopen July 1, provided restrictions are lifted. In the meantime, she said, “We are helping keep our American neighbors’ lawns neat and tidy in exchange for a case of Yuengling or two (not available in Canada!) and keeping our fingers crossed that we can all come together soon.”