Pass system grants Quebec First Nation limited access to Campbellton area

Members of the Listuguj First Nation in Quebec are now using a special pass system allowing them to shop for necessities across the river in New Brunswick.

The 10 transferable passes, created by two band councillors, are good for a two-hour visit to Campbellton and Atholville once a week. Only one person per car is allowed each trip.

When New Brunswick closed its borders to non-essential travel March 25, "it created a little panic at first, because Listuguj and Campbellton are really one community, just divided by a bridge," said band councillor George Martin. 

"We depend a lot on the services available in Campbellton and when that happened, we didn't have a Plan B in place right away." 

The Mi'kmaq community, though located in Quebec, relies on New Brunswick for basic services. For example, after children finish Grade 8 at an on-reserve school they attend Sugarloaf High School in Campbellton for grades 9 to 12.

Band members have to go through a screening questionnaire on the New Brunswick side and can only shop at designated stores for groceries and essential items.

They're asked to keep the passes on the dashes of their cars during the entire two-hour shopping trip and are encouraged to wear face masks while shopping.

Martin said the 10-pass limit is because "we didn't want to flood Campbellton all at once."

Support from premier but not chief

The plan has the support of Premier Blaine Higgs, who said Friday the province helped advise the band councillors on what procedures to put in place.

"I commend them for their efforts in that regard," he said. "This is something they took in their community as an initiative … to protect their community." 

But the creation of the pass system has stirred divisions on the Quebec side of the border.

Listuguj Chief Darcy Gray told Radio-Canada he was not in favour of the system, and some non-Indigenous people in nearby communities say it's unfair they don't have the same ability to cross to New Brunswick.

Martin said Gray's opposition "threw me for a loop" because the band council had delegated him and another councillor to create the system.

"I never got an indication to stop the process." 

The passes are not available at the band office. Band members have to contact Martin and pick up the passes at his home, where he said he cleans them carefully and distributes them using a no-contact system.

Last Friday, the first day the system was in place, about 40 people used the passes throughout the day. 

Martin said because of "miscommunication" on his part, people interpreted the passes broadly and used them to shop widely in Campbellton.

After New Brunswick officials raised concerns that night, he clarified to band members that they can only be used for groceries and other essentials.

Martin said no one at Listuguj has tested positive for COVID-19, and the majority of cases in that part of Quebec are at two long-term care homes for seniors 45 minutes away.

He said few band members travel to other parts of Quebec, and internal provincial checkpoints and one on the reserve will also help reduce the risk they will contract the virus and carry it over to New Brunswick.

Higgs said Monday that there has "absolutely not" been any relaxing of border controls on the Quebec border other than the Listuguj pass system.