Checkpoints set up to discourage non-essential travel
Happy Valley-goose Bay establishes information stops, while Labrador West will start refusing admittance to travellers
The Town of Happy Valley-goose Bay is putting up checkpoints at the entrances to the Labrador town to try to discourage non-essential travel between communities.
Town council held a special meeting on Thursday to vote on the checkpoints, which they say will be for information and public awareness only.
“I want to make it clear to the public, there have been a lot of questions,” said Coun. Jackie Compton-hobbs. “We are not blocking the road. These are checkpoints for information purposes.”
Not all councillors were in favour of the motion, with Michelle Baikie raising concerns several times about the safety of town workers. She said they could be at risk interacting with the public, and the town needs to protect them.
Mayor Wally Andersen said they are taking all precautions for the workers, and the town needs to do something to stop people travelling between towns for non-essential reasons.
“I have an eight-year-old granddaughter and I can’t go hug her and tell her I love her, but we got people that are travelling into our town, staying with people. We’ve heard from Labrador West there are people going over there shopping and staying in their community. What we’re doing here is open, honest and straightforward.”
The two towns in Labrador West, Wabush and Labrador City, have had information checkpoints set up for weeks to try to keep people from travelling into their towns.
Wabush Mayor Ron Barron said they’re going to step it up and start turning away people who don’t have a letter stating they’re an essential worker or have a crucial need to be in the communities.
“If there’s stuff that’s readily available in your community, then you don’t need to come to ours. We’re not going to stop people who need to get essential things, but there’s no reason most people need to be travelling right now.”
Barron said they put in a request to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary to help enforce the checkpoint stops, but haven’t heard back yet. The town will staff the checkpoints 24 hours a day, up from the eight hours a day previously.
Barron said he’s been frustrated by how people are allowed to freely travel between communities, and the province should shut it down.
“It’s ridiculous that I can’t go visit my neighbour, the province says I can’t do that, but I can hop in my truck, drive to Goose Bay and go shopping at
Northmart. It makes no sense.”
He said he hopes the province will assist, but the town is going to go ahead with it either way. If people are turned away and insist on going into the town, Barron said, the town workers won’t physically stop them, but will call the police and report it.
Premier Dwight Ball addressed the checkpoints in the daily media briefing, saying the towns had permission to set up information checkpoints. When asked by a reporter whether turning people away is against the law, Ball said it will depend on who tests the law.
“The fact is, I guess what they’re doing is reiterating the fact they just want to see essential travellers coming into their community,” he said.
Ball said a number of communities in Labrador are sending a strong message and working hard to discourage non-essential travel.