Restrictions on travel in Northern Saskatchewan due to the pandemic is bringing the province's north-south divide to the surface, but some say the people should be rallying together, as opposed to pointing fingers.
Ashton Janvier is a teacher in the Northern Village of La Loche.
He says most people in the community are following tight restrictions in place to contain an outbreak of COVID-19 in the far north. Out of Saskatchewan's 194 active cases, 138 of them — more than 70 per cent — are located in the region.
Janvier said while many of the residents in the northern community are following restrictions in place, he's been unimpressed by some of the conversations that have been taking place online, as he's seen a divide between north and south highlighted on social media due to the fact such a small community has a high case count.
"We have been getting a lot of backlash and a lot of negative outlooks from different communities, and even from major cities such as Saskatoon and Prince Albert," said Janvier.
"They have been sharing a lot of negative Facebook posts and even a lot of racist and discriminating posts against people of La Loche and Indigenous people, saying that now, it's turned to us. We are now spreading the disease. We are spreading this virus."
Travel restrictions have been in place in Northern Saskatchewan since April 24 and were tightened roughly a week later to restrict any travel between communities in the region, as community members are now restricted to their home communities.
For Janvier, he said while there are some in the community who are not listening to the restrictions, many of them are part of vulnerable populations.
That includes those dealing with alcoholism or substance abuse, noting leadership in the region is working to make sure they're housed and kept safe.
He says people in the province should be focusing more on coming together to support one another, as opposed to pointing fingers and creating divide.
"Instead of blaming a community or blaming a certain type of people, we should really be supporting each other and trying to really find ways to help stop the spread of COVID-19," he said.
He added later: "It's not just a northern problem now. It's a problem where everybody should be supportive and help one another."
However, he noted that not all online posts have been harmful, as many in the community are using social media to embrace their faith, as prayers posted and sent through Facebook are helping to raise some spirits.
For some who have contracted the virus in the north, like Amanda Black, the diagnosis comes as a surprise.
Black says she took every precaution she could to protect herself. She got her diagnosis on May 4.
"I have no idea where I caught this virus. No idea. We wore masks, we wore gloves, we did everything we were supposed to," she said, noting neither she nor her six-year-old son, Malachi, who also tested positive, have not been showing any major symptoms.
From her perspective, she said life has not changed much since the restrictions have come into effect, saying she's still seeing some folks flouting restrictions and advice from health officials and local leadership.
"With everything I was watching, I was scared to catch it, because it seems serious," she said. "But I come from a community where things just don't phase people."
She says while the community was initially slow to prepare, since the outbreak started, leaders have been working to contain the virus "day and night," but notes even with the constant messaging, there are still some people who are not taking the orders seriously.
"Nobody seems to listen," she said.
She said in a highly-sociable community like La Loche, she said gatherings and conversations have always been a big part of the culture in the community, well before the pandemic hit.
"Everybody knows everybody. Everybody visits everybody. Somebody new comes to town and we're there with open arms to say, "Hi!" she said. "I don't know of even having a rule around here where you knock on the door before you walk into someone's house."
Black says had there been better screening or supervision of those coming back from Alberta and more testing happening in the region, the outbreak may have been detected earlier and better contained.
She says people in the northern communities are afraid, but notes for many, the fear is not enough to keep them inside.
"It scares people, but it doesn't scare them enough to stay home," she said.
Others who live in the community, like Chai Daongam, the owner of CenterPoint Grocery and Pharmacy in La Loche, said from his vantage point, there are a lot of folks who have accepted they're living in an outbreak situation.
"You have to do what you have to do," he said.
Daongam said he's been spending a lot of time isolated at work or at home, but noted, from the limited conversations he's had, when it comes to the restrictions: "People have come to accept it as a fact of life."
"Really, what's the alternative?" he asked.
Robert St. Pierre, Mayor of La Loche, when asked about the stigma around the virus, he said he's reminding surrounding communities that while La Loche is dealing with an outbreak, the community is not the cause of the pandemic.
"La Loche did not bring this virus to the world," he said.
He hopes mass testing underway in the community provides leaders with insight into how much of the population has contracted the virus already, which will help them plot a path forward.
"Once you know where you are, then you can work on getting to another step," he said.
St. Pierre said one of reasons the virus spread quickly in the north is because not enough people were practicing social distancing, noting while many people in the community are following the public health orders, there are still situations where people gather, like when people are getting their mail.
He said crews have been deployed to help ensure these types of gatherings don't take place, but said it has been a challenge to find a balance between ensuring people are respecting the rules without infringing on their freedoms.
"That's not an easy thing when we live in Canada. We're so used to having our freedoms and we're a very sociable people. So asking people to stay away from others is proving to be very difficult," he said. "But we understand the need to practice physical distancing, so hopefully, we can get to where we need to get to in containing this virus."
Northern leaders have said the region will be looking at "drastic and immediate" action in the coming days and weeks if case numbers in the region don't start to decline.
