Quebec residents frustrated with police checkpoints at Ontario-Quebec crossings near Pembroke
At the provincial border crossing between Ontario and Quebec near Pembroke, Ont., residents of the small border community of Chapeau say the police checkpoints are ineffective and disruptive.
"We’ve been told that essential services are something that we all have a right to," says Kiersten Smith, a resident of the small island community in Quebec.
"The fact that we’re an island lends itself to that we travel to Pembroke for everything. That’s where my banking is, my oil changes, my grocery, my pharmacy. I work in Ontario, my husband works in Ontario."
Smith says they are allowed to pass through the checkpoints into Ontario for work purposes or if they are picking up a prescription from a pharmacy, but not to pick up other items like groceries.
"They said that we can’t go over for our groceries anymore and that we have to go to the Quebec side," says Smith. "I’ve never shopped over here for my groceries, it’s a further grocery store."
Fellow Chapeau resident Marielle Lair has experienced the same hassle when trying to buy food every week.
"We do have a small grocery store in our area but it doesn’t have everything that we need," says Lair.
"When I have to go over to get my weekly grocery order, I have to lie and I have to say I’m that I’m going to pick up prescriptions," says Smith.
The crossing near Pembroke on Highway 148 is one of four Ontario-Quebec checkpoints being monitored by Ontario Provincial Police. The other three are Chenaux Road in Renfrew County, the John Street Bridge in Hawkesbury, and Highway 401 in Bainsville.
The OPP say the checkpoints are monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and are expected to remain in place until at least June 16.
"We’re rural on this side, so our services really and truly are in Pembroke, Ont., and I speak for a majority of the residents on the island," says Smith. "We just don’t have the infrastructure or the services on this side to service our needs."
The frustration really sets in when the residents see vehicles with Ontario licence plates regularly entering Quebec. With the checkpoints originally set up to slow the spread of COVID-19, Lair says they are not working.
"People come over here because of cheap beer and cigarettes. As well as we have a lot of lakes and fishing opportunities for people. There’s no consistency and people with Ontario plates can come and go as they please and we can’t."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.