Dear Mr. Ford,

My name is Marielle Lair and I’m from Chapeau, Que. and I have something I would like to discuss with you.

First, to better explain where I am (literally) coming from, the small town where I live is on the border of Ontario, the Ottawa River being the only thing that separates my community from Pembroke, Ont.

Since you’re the one who implemented the ruling, I know you are aware that the Ontario/Quebec border is presently being monitored 24/7 by OPP. . .

That being said, there is something you don’t know and that is the dynamic relationship between Chapeau and Pembroke and how heavily residents here in Chapeau rely on Pembroke.

Here in Chapeau/the Pontiac, we have limited options in terms of groceries and other goods such as pharmacies and gas stations. There is only one legitimate grocery store within a 45 minute drive of my house on my side of the river. One grocery store that feeds many surrounding communities, a grocery store that since the onset of your border restrictions, has been overcrowded and struggling to maintain stock.

Shopping local is something that I am incredibly passionate about. However, keeping food in my fridge and the tummies of my children has become a trying task as not only are the options limited in my local grocery store, but incredibly expensive. Having three children under the age of eight, this is a hard pill to swallow when we are forced to spend considerably more money on everything from groceries to paper towels to even dog food.

My husband is a military veteran who still works for DND at Garrison Petawawa and has to travel across the interprovincial bridge for work every day. I chose to order groceries online from Walmart in Pembroke for my husband to pick them up on his way home. This is not only considerably more cost effective for my family, but allows us to continue to do our part in preventing the spread of COVID by limited trips out of the house. That being said, I have learned this past week, on several occasions Quebec-plated vehicles are being literally followed after going through the border checkpoint when entering the province of Ontario by OPP. Quebec-plated vehicles are not only being followed but being approached by officers in unmarked cars, threatening them with fines and/or issuing fines for stopping for goods in Ontario. 

Are you telling me Mr. Ford that according to your laws (proven by people I know getting harassed and/or ticketed while in their vehicles at curbside pickup locations or grocery stores), my husband is risking being ticketed each time he picks up groceries?

Furthermore, another point I would like to bring to your attention is being a border community, numerous Quebec residents, either part-time or full-time, have Ontario-plated vehicles (a separate issue in itself). Any vehicle with Ontario plates, regardless if they are untruthfully living in Quebec, simply get waved through at the border check point and can ultimately come and go as they please. You’re a smart man so I’m sure you see what’s wrong here — Ontario residences are under a stay at home order but can travel to and from the province as they please with no enforcement, but I cannot put food on my table without risking a hefty fine.

The Mayor of Ottawa swiftly put an end to the border check points after the first couple days due to it causing more problems and being a poor use of resources. People in considerably larger urban areas (Ontario/Gatineau), with considerably higher COVID cases, can travel freely. So Mr. Ford, please explain to me why are we still dealing with this issue in a rural area where COVID cases are minimal in comparison and what your rationale is for extending these measures for nearly three additional weeks.

I encourage you, Mr. Ford, to take a drive to the inter provincial bridge that separates L’Isle-aux-Allumettes (Chapeau) and Laurentian Valley (Pembroke), so you can see first-hand that the border closures are doing nothing to stop the spread. I’m sure you would quickly realize you are creating a divide between these two communities that rely heavily on each other and are harming families, both financially and emotionally.

Marielle Lair 

Chapeau, Que.