Chatham-Kent-Leamington MP Dave Epp hopes to find accommodations for unvaccinated Pelee Island residents who wish to fly to the mainland and back.
While they don't need to provide proof of vaccination to board a plane to leave the island, they do need it to get on the same plane to fly home.
The residents found out last weekend, three days before ferry service ended for the season. Until the ferry starts operating again, the only way on and off Pelee Island is by plane.
It could mean a two-and-a-half-month stay in Windsor, even if they choose to get vaccinated. Public health officials recommend two months between doses, and it takes two weeks for each shot to become fully effective.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit said it held two vaccination clinics on the island. CEO Nicole Dupuis could not say what percentage of residents participated but recalled the uptake was "good."
Chatham-Kent-Leamington MP Dave Epp. Photo courtesy Dave Epp/Twitter.
"A little more notice to engage would have been great," said Epp. "Three days notice for residents to prepare for a two-and-a-half-month hiatus, there could have been more leadup time."
Epp said he has been investigating options, but it could take time to find the answer.
"Right now, our focus is on bringing the players together to figure out how we can make the situation better for the residents of the island as quickly as possible," he said.
That means getting federal and provincial officials together with decision-makers at Cameron Air which operates the Pelee Island Winter Air Service.
The disparity between requirements stems from the fact that while Pelee Island is remote from the mainland, especially during the winter months, it's not classified as a "remote community." Windsor International Airport is considered a gateway, but the Great Lakes Flying Centre where Cameron Air operates is not.
According to the Government of Canada's website, travellers from remote communities do not need to be fully vaccinated to travel by plane. At gateway airports, airline operators are supposed to provide those passengers with a free COVID-19 test kit.
While Epp is fully vaccinated himself, he sympathizes.
"Reasonable accommodation has always been something without jeopardizing public health," he said.
As for what that reasonable accommodation is, Epp said it would take more work by his office to find out.
