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Cheticamp residents want isolation rules applied to all

Valerie LeBlanc and Maurice Poirier, owners of Trofel Health Food Store in Chéticamp, are concerned that social-distancing rules are not being applied to everyone. (contributed photo)


-by Bill Dunphy

    If the COVID-19 social distancing rules are in place to protect us, then a group of concerned citizens in Chéticamp want that rule applied to everyone.
    The arrival of a crab-fishing boat from New Brunswick created a stir in the community last week when members of the crew were seen throughout the community without self-isolating for 14 days.
    This prompted numerous citizens and business owners in Chéticamp to question the provincial government’s rules regarding social distancing and self-isolation.
    Maurice Poirier and Valerie LeBlanc, owners of Trofel Health Food Store, were among the first to express their concerns by writing Premier Stephen McNeil.
    Their concerns included:
    1.) Why are these workers needed, if several non-essential workers are laid off around the province, can we not hire from within?
    2.) How can the safety of the food source be guaranteed on a fish processing line where the people doing the work have not self-isolated prior to working?
    3.) Where is the personal protective equipment coming from to complete this task?
    4.) Would it not be more effective to use this personal protective equipment in a medical setting?
    5.) How can physical distancing be achieved in a fishing boat?
    6.) Why is the sport fishery for trout delayed and not this fishery?
    7.) How is the local economy going to deal with the increased burden on the grocery stores?
    8.) How is the local medical facility with 10 beds to service 10,000 people going to be prioritized if these out-of-province workers are sick or cause sickness in the community?
    In an interview on Monday, Maurice Poirier said he was disappointed by the response so far from the premier.
    “I have nothing personal against anybody, but self-isolation is the law and it should be applied to everybody. Regulations are not hard to follow – just stay put!”
    Poirier said up until the arrival of the fishermen, the residents of Chéticamp were all doing their part in following the provincial regulations.
    “I am grateful and thankful to the premier and the doctor (Dr. Robert Strang) with what they have done, but to a point. We have a crisis here and there shouldn’t be loopholes. The regulations they put in place override the laws we had previously. Tell them to quarantine,” he said.
    Premier McNeil and Dr. Strang hold daily COVID-19 briefing sessions, and last Thursday the controversy in Chéticamp was one of the topics of discussion.
    “We’ve allowed fishing boats an exemption outside of the Health Protection Act simply because we need to protect our food sources and we need to do as much as we can while protecting public health and safety to keep our economy going as best we can,” said Strang.
    “Certainly, advice has been given to both the fishing industry and the processing plants about adhering as best they can to social distancing, for fishing boats, making sure that people don’t go on the boats to leave the shore if they’re feeling unwell.”
    McNeil told reporters he was just made aware of the situation in Chéticamp and has directed the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture to investigate.
    “It’s one thing to secure the catch, it’s quite another to be able to sell it,” McNeil said. “Many of our pounds are full. We’re trying to identify the best thing when it comes to securing our own food supply, but also making sure that the product that is caught is safe, that we can sell it in a market for a fair price.”
    However, in their letter to the premier, Poirier and LeBlanc said there appears to be no attempt by the new arrivals to follow any of the rules.
    “The Chéticamp fishery is scheduled to commence soon. This annual event brings more than 100 fishermen from the province of New Brunswick to our small community. Closely followed by the Indigenous fishermen from other parts of the Maritimes. We were under the impression with the legislation that was passed that all people entering the province of Nova Scotia would have to self-isolate for a minimum of 14 days. The fishermen that have started to arrive in preparation for the fishery are not following this requirement indicating that they are ‘essential’ workers since they are providing food.
    “Our small community is challenged as it stands to provide food and essential necessities to its community members. As a small business owner in the community we are pro-actively practising physical distancing and adjusting our business delivery to this new pandemic approach. Yet the fishery industry is flaunting their disdain for the physical distancing and not self-isolating.”
    Added Poirier, “I’m sure if we were going to New Brunswick to work, we would have no choice but to self-quarantine.”
    He said a meeting was scheduled for Monday night in Chéticamp, but as of press time Inverness County deputy warden and District 1 councillor Alfred Poirier had not responded to calls from The Oran.
   



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       


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