Reminder: The basic rules we should all be following are:
Stay where we are living
Go out only for essential needs
Maintain social distancing
WASH YOUR HANDS
Many residents have expressed confusion about the press releases issued by the Municipality indicating that the Ministerial Order restricting access to regions was specific to Wentworth-Nord.
To clarify, the order was for the entire Laurentides Health Region which includes the four territories of the regional county municipalities (MRC) of:
Antoine-Labelle
Argenteuil
Les-Pays-d’en Haut
Les Laurentides
Ministerial Order 2020-013
Notes for part-time residents:
As of noon on April 1st, if anyone was already living in their secondary residence, they are permitted to stay and they can circulate as required for essential services in any of the four MRC's which make up the Laurentides Health Region.
If you leave the Laurentides Health Region, ie by going to Montreal or Ottawa, then you are not permitted back into the region unless you qualify under one of the points listed in the Ministerial Order.
You can see below the full text of the Ministerial Order however you would qualify for access to the region if:
Your travel is necessary for humanitarian purposes
Your travel is necessary to obtain care or services required by your state of health or to provide such care or services to a person requiring them
A physician has authorized a person to enter the region on the conditions the authorizing person determines
If you are a high risk individual, for reasons relating to age or pre-existing medical conditions, speak to your Doctor and make sure you are staying were you are safest.
Important: If you come into the region you will need to self-isolate for 14 days unless you travelled for reasons described in points 3,4,6,or 7 of the Ministerial Order.
Who decides what is travel for humanitarian purposes?
It is the police who have the discretion to decide what qualifies so make sure to have available any possible proof to support your claim.
Remember, do not travel unless really necessary!
Education and information are the approaches favoured by all police forces in Québec at the present time. Police officers are on duty and will continue to intervene, while respecting the powers granted to them in the context of a health emergency.
The full text of the Ministerial Order is available at the following link: