Just one day after Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said that Ontario’s order for checkpoints at interprovincial crossings is “impractical and unnecessary,” Ottawa Police Services have issued a news release to announce they are stopping the 24-hour checkpoints at the city’s four bridges.
As part of the province’s temporary order to close its provincial land borders, Ontario is essentially restricting Quebec residents from entering the province. Police have been asked to stop individuals and ask them to provide their reason for entering the province.
But in the statement issued at 7 pm Tuesday night, the OPS said the “around-the-clock border checkpoints will stop as of 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Instead, they say they are setting up rotating checkpoints across the city throughout the day until Ontario’s temporary regulations end.”
“Since the onset of the border operations, the OPS has been working closely with Ottawa Public Health (OPH) along with local stakeholders and interprovincial stakeholders (the City of Ottawa, the City of Gatineau, the Ontario Provincial Police etc.) to assess any local public health, traffic and safety impacts. The assessment resulted in today’s operational changes,” the statement said.
The statement also said the operational changes they are implementing are designed to “better ensure the health and safety of all, to minimize delays and/or hazards for travellers and to ensure essential workers can get to their places of employment on time.”
OPS did say officers also will be conducting daily assessments on border crossings and that there could be further changes.
Meanwhile, Quebec residents who need to get to Ottawa for work had been expressing their frustrations about long delays sitting in traffic at borders.
Mayor Watson called the effects of the checkpoints “crippling” and pointed out that 5,000 to 6,000 health-care staff live on the Quebec side, but work in Ottawa. While, Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa’s medical officer of health said healthcare workers were as arriving as much as 90 minutes late for work.
There are several exemptions to the restrictions including: if the prompted person resides in Ontario, or if they work in Ontario. Other exemptions include if the person or persons are transporting goods, if they are coming in for health care, if they’re exercising Indigenous or treaty rights, or if there are other extenuated compassionate reasons.
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly also said the new orders are “stretching” the police service’s resources with some sources saying the first day of border checking cost the city as much as $113,000.
The statement from OPS says “We have been and will remain focused on our stated goal of ensuring our education, engagement and enforcement actions support improved public health outcomes and respect the concerns of our most marginalized and recialized communities all while enabling compliance with the Provincial Order restricting interprovincial travel.”
“The OPS will continue to work with OPH (Ottawa Public Health) and our partners to conduct daily assessments on the border operations. The public will be notified of any material changes to the border operations,” the statement reads.
Ottawa Police Services also reminds all members of the public to respect the Ontario Stay-At-Home order.
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