A Haida Gwaii-based fishing lodge is scheduled to re-open Friday despite a ban on non-resident and leisure travel on the islands.
Queen Charlotte Lodge president Paul Clough says the facility will helicopter guests directly to the lodge, which he says is 45 kilometres away from the nearest community and only accessible by boat or air.
The travel ban is part of the Haida Nation’s local state of emergency issued as part of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Concerns about the opening spawned a confrontation on the water Saturday when the Haida Nation informed the lodge about the continuing ban.
There were no injuries reported, but both Clough and Old Massett Village Council Chief Councillor Duffy Edgars described a tense situation.
First Nations in a number of BC regions have expressed concerns about the province’s plan to ease travel and other pandemic-related restrictions.
BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said Indigenous communities have the right to proceed with re-opening at their own pace.
(with files from The Canadian Press)
