JORGE MARIA

PONTIAC June 9, 2021 

The OPP’s roadblocks continue to cause frustration in the Pontiac MRC as residents’ complaints mount.

In an open letter to Premier Doug Ford, published today in this paper, Chapeau resident Marielle Lair described occurrences of Quebec residents followed by unmarked police vehicles in Pembroke, Ontario . . .

One incident occurred when Melanie Jones of Chichester drove to Pembroke to pick up medication. In an email to The Equity, Jones said it was rare for her to visit Pembroke since she is on maternity leave with her 10 week-old. To make efficient use of her time, she decided to order a few things in advance for curb-side pick up at Walmart and Canadian Tire. “I would only be in Pembroke for a maximum of 30 minutes and the only time I would have to get out of my car was to pick up the prescription,” she said. 

After picking up her prescription and groceries, she went to the Canadian Tire for curbside pickup. She stepped out of her vehicle to help the clerk load things into the car while her baby sat in the back. An unmarked OPP vehicle pulled up alongside her car, preventing other vehicles from passing and the officer motioned her over to his SUV. “Once I confirmed that my address was in Quebec, he proceeded to inform me that I was not to be making any pickups while in Ontario and that I could have been subject to ‘a hefty fine.’”

It was only later that she realized she might have been followed after hearing about similar stops by the OPP on social media.

OPP officer Annie Collins, East Region Media Operations, said in an interview with The Equity that as per Ontario’s stay-at-home order, Quebec residents may only cross the border for work or essential services like medication. Under the provincial directives, food is not considered an essential reason for Quebecers to enter Ontario, and travellers will be turned away at the checkpoint.

Collins said there was no directive for OPP officers to stop drivers with Quebec license plates once they had entered an Ontario community. “If there is a valid complaint from someone, they need to report it,” she said.

As far as fines are concerned, Collins said, “We are still able to use our discretion.” Meaning that a person could be fined on a first offence.

Like many in the area, before Ontario’s stay-at-home order, the Jones family made frequent trips to the Ontario side. Jones’s husband banks there and has his car serviced there. Up until her maternity leave, Jones worked as a  manager at a long-term-care facility on the Pembroke side of the river.

Compounding the problem is that L’Isle-aux-Allumettes, is a virtual “food desert” with limited options for grocery stores and other services. With residents prevented from entering Ontario, the already limited options have been strained further by increased demand, leaving many items out of stock.

In her letter, Lair described the frustration of having “only one legitimate grocery store within a 45-minute drive of my house on my side of the river.”

MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller has heard her share of stories about OPP officers stopping Quebecers in Ontario communities. “From the beginning, there has been an imbalance and there’s a lack of fairness to it,” she said referring to the general impression that Quebecers are being unfairly targeted.

“My overall concern is that this is potentially setting up a very poor relationship between Quebec and Ontario,” as Quebec residents with Ontario license plates are free to come and go as they please.

According to Ontario’s “Roadmap to Reopen,” a multi-phase process taking into account the provincial vaccination rate and “improvements in key public health and health care indicators,” it is widely expected that roadblocks will end on June 16, something confirmed by Collins.

The Equity told Toller that there was no official policy directive to stop drivers with Quebec license plates, according to Collins.

“I could issue a formal complaint, and I will do that,” Toller said. 

Residents wishing to file their own complaints can call the OPP non-emergency number at 1-888-310-1122 and ask to speak to the sergeant on duty.