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An appropriate line of defence

In this time of Covid-19, we know that many people in the NWT are concerned every time they see an out-of-territory licence plate.

They wonder how there can be people coming up from the South if the NWT's border is closed to keep out the coronavirus.

Well, the answer to that question is the NWT's border is not closed. For one thing, Canadians cannot be stopped from entering the NWT because freedom of movement is guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Instead, the territorial government is controlling who is allowed to travel in the NWT under emergency public health orders issued because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The GNWT has the power to levy hefty fines if people – using the Charter of Rights and Freedoms – decide to travel in the NWT without the required permission.

As far as we can tell, that is just as effective as closing the border.

Actually, closing the border – as in really closing the border – is not warranted or even practical. There are many reasons people have to enter the NWT. People live in the territory and are returning home, truckers bring in essential supplies, essential workers come in to help society keep functioning, people move to the NWT for work and traditional harvesters exercise their rights.

On July 29, The Hub and a reporter from APTN were given a tour of the GNWT's Highway 1 checkpoint on the NWT/Alberta border at the 60th Parallel.

From what The Hub could see, it is an appropriate line of defence against the coronavirus, especially given the many reasons people can rightfully enter the NWT.

We were particularly impressed when we were informed that the passengers in about a dozen vehicles each day are told they cannot travel in the NWT without facing the aforementioned fines. That turn-back number is from between 30-35 passenger vehicles a day checked at the border.

That's a surprising number of people being turned away, and it's sort of encouraging in a way.

So we believe that the GNWT is doing a reasonable job in preventing the coronavirus from crossing the land border with Alberta. Still, no system is foolproof, and it would be unreasonable to expect it to be.

And that's where a lot of the responsibility for keeping us all safe falls to residents of the NWT returning home and others entering the territory for whatever valid reason.

The GNWT can make the rules, but there is a limit to what it can do in a free society.

People entering the NWT have to use common sense and have a sense of responsibility to everyone else, and follow the rules they have been given, especially self-isolating for 14 days.

Unfortunately, not all of them do, as evidenced by the number of fines handed out by Protect NWT for violations.

So while the GNWT can set up checkpoints and do whatever else it can legally do to keep the coronavirus out, it is vital that travellers do their part.

If they don't, they are being irresponsible and a danger to us all.