For any number of decades people with jobs in Ottawa have opted to live on the Quebec side of the river and commute- cheaper housing was often the driving factor.
With the inter-provincial border closed by COVID, those workers are waived through with a letter from their employer- but for the rest of us who’d just like a casual trip to Chelsea to buy sourdough bread, the border closure continues to be trouble.
Now comes news that restrictions on interprovincial travel could be extended past the scheduled expiry date of next Wednesday (June 16th).
The CBC has been making calls to officials to enquire, and a spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of the Solicitor General said the current order banning non-essential travel between Ontario and Quebec, could be extended in 14-day increments.
The order has been policed randomly since it came into effect in April, with motorists being turned back if police don’t like their reasons for wanting to cross.
Even as Ontario moves to the first stage of its reopening plan on Friday, and the Outaouais moves to looser “yellow zone” restrictions on Monday (June 14th) it may not mean much.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson believes officials on both sides of the River are ingnoring the realities of economic integration.
The CISSS Outaouais believes trends are moving in the right direction to take the barriers down- and both local municipalities say policing costs have been substantial- but these decisions are up to governments in Toronto and Quebec City, who have yet to be persuaded by local sentiment.