County line conundrum
Bouladerie Island resident wants ‘clarity' on provincial boundaries
SYDNEY — Parker Donham resides in Kempt Head, in Victoria County's District 5, which encompasses roughly half of the Boularderie Island area. He estimates the closest community for grocery shopping and buying other household necessities would be North Sydney, just over 43 kilometres away.
That would mean crossing into the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, he said.
By following to the letter the most recent provincial lockdown restrictions that Premier Iain Rankin and chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang laid out, Donham notes he should travel to Baddeck, the county seat located 56 km westward.
The 75-year-old communications specialist, political blogger and former independent journalist took to social media to present his conundrum: “Should I go to the closest grocery store, or stay in my county? I'm not looking for a loophole. … Just seeking clarity. (And I don't want to run afoul of Mounties, who are, by some accounts, conducting spot checks.)
“I'm a fairly conservative person and I'll go where it seems sensible to go to be safe, but it is ambiguous,” Donham said in a phone interview. “North Sydney is closer than Baddeck, offers larger stores than Baddeck, but it is not located within my municipality.
“Having said that, during the first lockdown I did shop at the Baddeck Co-op and can't say enough of how good their staff is. There's more of a personal touch and I felt very safe shopping there. But it is a little further away.
“It would be nice if Dr. Strang would clarify this.”
FIELDING A LOT OF CALLS
During a late-April news briefing days before implementing the provincewide shutdown, Strang told reporters “we recognize that people have to go to work, (may have) legal reasons or medical appointments, and you can travel wherever you have to for those. But for nonessential travel, social visits, getting out and about, stay within your local community. Even within Cape Breton, if you live in the CBRM, stay within the CBRM; if you live up in Inverness, stay within Inverness.”
In announcing further tightening of restrictions on May 7, Rankin warned Nova Scotians “do not travel between communities. This is really important. We've put strict parameters around this; it is specifically legal to stay within your municipality, but don't use the loopholes.”
Keith Bain — the PC MLA for Victoria-The Lakes whose constituency office is in Little Bras d'Or but resides in the Boularderie area – recognized that for some of his constituents, crossing the county line to access a larger community may often be necessary.
“The rules say that you're supposed to stay within your own municipality,” Bain said. “But then when you look, the rules also say (you must shop at) your closest grocery store and gas station. And that's what is creating the confusion. In the case of Boularderie, just using myself as an example, I would do my banking, my grocery shopping, and my pharmacy needs all in North Sydney, 15 minutes away. We're supposed to be limiting our travel, correct? Baddeck is at least a halfhour away.
“We're fielding a lot of calls on this issue and wondering if there's a full appreciation of
the geography of this area.”
Victoria County Warden Bruce Morrison feels that his municipality's residents have been following all the rules in place but stopped short of commenting on whether District 5 residents should or should not cross into the CBRM to buy their essentials.
“People here are watching for different messages and I believe they're following through with the province's recommendations as they change,” Morrison said.
The Cape Breton Post also reached out to District 5 Coun. Fraser Patterson on the matter, but he declined to comment. Raising Donham's worries about being subject to police checks for travel between municipalities, Nova Scotia RCMP Cpl. Chris Marshall told the Post that, in the run of an officer's duties of pulling drivers over for speeding or other violations of the Motor Vehicle Act, motorists are being asked where they are headed and checking their identification to see where they live.
Cape Bretoners, he said, are allowed to travel within their own municipalities for nonessential reasons,
“If you don't have an essential reason to be outside your municipality, then you would be charged for non-essential travel outside your municipality,” he said, confirming that, for instance, if you live in Victoria County, you have to find a place to purchase your groceries within the county.
CBRM Mayor Amanda McDougall says she is well aware of the social media buzz regarding the mixed messaging over the province's “stay within your own community” declaration.
“The restrictions do say to treat your community like a municipality,” she said. “But in those restrictions, it's also very clearly laid out to stay as close to home as possible.
“When it all comes down to it, it's all logic-based; if there is something essential that you have to do, just use your common sense and judgment. People are not limited to where they can move within the CBRM, but (for nonessential travel) I'm asking the public to stay as close to home as much as possible.”