Pikwakanagan businesses on the verge of shutdown

All businesses operating at the Pikwakanagan of Algonquins Reserve at Golden Lake have been ordered by Chief and council to restrict services to curbside and window pick-up only — failure to do so can get a business' doors shut for good.

The orders come into effect on Tuesday, December 28, however, only gas stations are exempted from the new rule.

Occupants inside vehicles must remain inside and employees must be masked at all times.

The mandate came in the form of a letter sent out to all businesses on the reserve.

There are 11 cannabis dispensaries and three gas stations along with several tobacco shops that are affected by the mandate.

For many, the introduction of the COVID protocols is very similar to the ones introduced in March 2020, shortly before a State of Emergency was declared.

During that time, checkpoints were set up at both entrances and all non-resident traffic was turned away except for service and emergency vehicles.

Chief Wendy Jocko and council sent the directive out on March 31, which stayed in effect until May 29 and forced more than 100 residents employed by the various businesses to pursue whatever government financial programs to supplement their loss of income.

At the time, members of the business community were disappointed Chief Jocko and council gave no warning to business owners. Business owners were upset that they did not have time to cancel pre-ordered merchandise or were able to give employees proper notice.

The directive, brought forward by the Pikwakanagan Emergency Control Group, came in the form of an official notification from Jocko to all 480 people who live on the reserve. The letter provides detail into the decision making process, unlike the sudden Emergency Declaration introduced on March 29, 2020.

In the one-page letter posted on the official First Nation website, Jocko described the current health status as “concerning.”

“Unfortunately Pikwakanagan has 11 positive cases…we can assume all cases are of the Omicron variant and it is highly contagious,” Jocko said. “Due to our small size and interactions with one another, we must ensure we do all we can to contain the virus and stop the spread. This requires all of us to stay home, and if you must go out, wear your mask, wash your hands often and keep your distance.”

Although it's unclear how many people on the reserve contracted COVID, it's believed to be in the single digits.

Some residents have also said they never heard of anyone living on the reservce having the highly contagious virus.

Despite a very small population, the reserve is one of the busiest spots in the entire Ottawa Valley due to its vast array of cannabis and related products.

There are 11 dispensaries — the cannabis is not subject to tax and is often one-half the cost of products found in any non-native dispensary in urban centres like Pembroke or Ottawa. In fact, it is not uncommon for people coming from Ottawa on a regular basis to save hundreds of dollars on various products.

For the most part, the business owners complied with the 2020 directive, but there were a few instances of owners and staff not abiding by the directive.

Those who didn't comply were given one warning, and a second would result in possible temporary closure or even loss of licence allowing them to operate on the reserve.

Two of the 11 dispensaries employ over 20 employees and the owners expressed concern for staff members if another lockdown would to happen as some may not have worked enough hours to qualify for government assistance.

However, they do agree that the open letter to all residents, combined with the written mandate for businesses, deals with the issue of transparency — an issue that was brought forward in 2020 when the shutdown came without any warning.

They also noted the control group failed to consult any business owners for input into strategies for COVID in 2020, and once again they were passed over for their input into best practices for customer care and how to remain open to the public.

Instead of focusing on the businesses and the precautions the businesses are taking, Jocko’s letter was primarily devoted to the health issues surrounding COVID and urged residents to take precautions over the coming weeks as the surge of infections is expected to greatly increase.

“I completely understand that everyone is anxious and scared,” Jocko wrote. “In this time of great difficulty and uncertainty, we need to be kind to each other, supportive and respectful. Meegwetch and sending warm healing thoughts and prayers.”