FORT WILLIAM FIRST NATION - After a lengthy debate on Wednesday, Fort William First Nation council has voted to extend its 24-hour curfew by at least one more week.
“Our decision is to continue our 24-hour curfew until May 1 and then we will reevaluate what’s going on in the Thunder Bay region and also how it’s impacting our community,” said Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins.
Council first ordered the curfew and closure of all businesses in the territory on April 10 and was to last two weeks.
But Collins said based on the advice from health staff and discussions with vendors, it was decided that in order to keep COVID-19 out of the community, more time is needed.
“We are getting a lot more support to make sure we continue to protect our community in its entirety,” Collins said. “I think we have been successful. We haven’t had any cases in our community and we want to keep it that way. We will continue to do the work we have to mitigate that.”
The situation in Gull Bay First Nation, which now has six confirmed cases of COVID-19, also influenced council’s decision, according to Collins.
“If you look at the numbers growing in Gull Bay and that was from one store and how that spread out,” he said. “That weighed heavy on us and it weighs heavy on our hearts for that community and how it may have a wider spread to it. God forbid that happens and we hope them all the best.”
And while most vendors understand the need to remain closed, at least one business near the edge of the territory said it still plans to reopen its gas bar next week.
In a social media post, First Class Gas said it will reopen on Monday. When the closures were first announced, Roy Pelletier, co-owner of Pelletiers Auto Body and First Class Gas said they would remain open.
The gas bar was closed for the two weeks and when asked for comment, Pelletier said both the shop and gas station are an essential service and the property is more than a kilometer from the blockade.
Collins said he doesn’t want to get into a heated debate with vendors on Fort William First Nation territory and if First Class Gas is open on Monday it is something council will deal with.
“Our curfew is that if you don’t have permission to come onto Fort William First Nation land, you are not entitled to come onto our land,” he said. “As simple as that. We will deal with it as it goes forward.”
Before the curfew is lifted and businesses are permitted to reopen, Collins said he needs to see the number of COVID-19 cases in the area start to decrease.
“Hopefully the numbers in the Thunder Bay region don’t continue to grow and they start trending in a different direction,” he said.
