La Loche and Clearwater River deliver positive update on COVID-19 outbreak

The Chief also congratulated the Dene Teacher Education Program (DTEP) graduating class of 2020 who completed their studies on May 23. Graduates included over 20 individuals.

“We see these things blazing the way for other programs and it goes to show we can actually get a university accredited program in our community and it can work,” he said. “The benefits of that are students are right in their hometown.”

The Chief encouraged his community to continue with Public Health Order recommendations to physically distance and continue with regular hygiene and hand washing. He also reported his Dene Nation’s curfew also coincides with the village of La Loche to include 11 p.m. to 7 p.m.

La Loche mayor Robert St. Pierre said for the third day in a row, there have been no new cases, 44 active and five presumptive. He advised after a village office meeting tomorrow (Wednesday), where checkpoints, the liquor facilities and curfews will be addressed.

“As restrictions get played out and cases come where they need to be and our numbers get lower, we’ll revisit those and once we determine the course of action, it will coincide with Clearwater River band,” he said.

The mayor addressed a topic of concern in the community as an individual came into the community for minnow harvesting.

“Since yesterday, we’ve got in touch with the Public Safety Agency and Saskatchewan Environment and Resource management (SERM) and we had those orders retracted from that individual,” St. Pierre said. “So he has no license to minnow harvest as a health order is in place and it is not an essential service and he has been asked to pack up and leave.”

The mayor went on to congratulate approximately 50 individuals graduating from La Loche high school and addressed the DTEP students for their contribution to the community.

The mayor acknowledged a range of contributions from the immediate community as well as the entire nation who have offered support to the Far North. He said feedback from people outside the community has highlighted the example the villages and Dene and Métis Nations have provided in containing the virus and for individual efforts and hard work.

Métis Nation councillor, Leonard Montgrand put forward ideas to the Chief and mayor to put checkpoints further south toward Buffalo Narrows as people in the community are feeling trapped since the active case numbers are dropping.

“When you go South, its a different world out there,” Montgrand said. “People are walking around without masks, they’re not using hand sanitizer and they’re in the stores and it seems as though we’re not able to do anything.”

Montgrand added he would like to see things move forward in an incremental way but advised the community those decisions are up to community leadership as the situation develops.

Village council will address community restrictions in the coming days after consultation with the province and the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

Community leadership offered condolences to the late Richard Lemaigre as funeral services may be particularly difficult during this time as crowds are limited to ensure physical distancing.

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @nicolereis7722

by Nicole Reis

La Loche and Clearwater River deliver positive update on COVID-19 outbreak

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