MONTREAL – A Quebec mayor says his town on the border with New Brunswick may leave the Atlantic bubble after restrictions were put in place that prevent his citizens from travelling anywhere else in Quebec.
Pointe-a-la-Croix along with the neighbouring Listuguj First Nation are the only remaining Quebec communities whose residents are allowed to make day trips to New Brunswick for reasons other than work, child custody or medical care.
While the links between his Gaspesie town and neighbouring Campbellton, N.B., are strong, Pointe-a-la-Croix Mayor Pascal Bujold says he doesn’t agree with new tighter restrictions brought in last week in response to a rise in cases in neighbouring Quebec regions.
According to a ministerial decree issued by the Quebec government, residents of the town can no longer travel elsewhere in the province, and those living in nearby Quebec towns cannot visit unless it’s for work, health care, or humanitarian reasons.
Bujold says the restrictions go far beyond what he’d agreed to, and he’s willing to leave the bubble unless New Brunswick makes a number of exceptions that would allow neighbouring residents to visit family members and an agreed-upon list of businesses in his town.
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said today that his government has no intention of expanding the bubble. Rather, he says contractions are possible due to the high case numbers in parts of Quebec.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct 6, 2020
- ‘Shock and disbelief’ after Manitoba school trustee’s Indigenous comments
- Canadian man dies during Texas Ironman event. His widow wants answers as to why
- Several baby products have been recalled by Health Canada. Here’s the list
- ‘Sciatica was gone’: hospital performs robot-assisted spinal surgery in Canadian first
Comments