Oka Park To Open as Kanesatake Reaches Deal With Quebec

A change at Kanetsatake’s manned checkpoints at the 2 entrances to Oka park over the last week. Kanesatake Grand Chief Serge Otsi Simon went on Facebook live this morning to announce an easing of those restrictions under strict conditions. Simon and the emergency response unit met with the Vice Premiers office, the regional health commission and public security CPAC on Monday. “The Quebec government has agreed to all of our concerns,” Simon said. “And as a show of good faith Oka Park will only have one access by the 640. It will remain at 50 percent capacity. The beach will remain at 50 percent capacity for the rest of the summer. The bike paths leading in to Oka, CPAC had agreed to put up barriers and signage warning people they are to confine to the park and the park only. Toilets that were all closed to the public are now going to be open. They are vigorously disinfect with every use. They assured us.”

 There has not been a single reported case of COVID-19 to date in Kanesatake and Simon wants to keep it that way.

“The fact of opening the economy and parks and restaurants we might see within a couple of weeks a second wave hitting this province which again puts our members at risk,” Simon said. “We are asking for a little more patience because our checkpoints, our dissuasion points will remain in place for another short time until we get a better picture of whether a second wave is going to hit us or not.”