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“There was no time to call a meeting, there was no time to ask what (the councils) individually thought. I had to make a decision, as did the other wardens, for what would be best to protect the region,” Toller said.

Photo by Ashley Fraser / Postmedia

In Pontiac, with a population of 14,300 people, there are fewer than five confirmed cases of COVID-19. However, the region has a fragile, understaffed health system and a population with a low base-level of health that has been identified as the worst in Quebec, Toller said.

Obstetrics in the region have basically been shuttered, with pregnant women having to go to Gatineau or Pembroke to have their babies.

More than a quarter of the population is over 65 and the population already has respiratory issues.

“We were basically just trying to recruit more nursing staff and then COVID-19 hit,” Toller said.

“As the warden of the Pontiac, my most important priority is to protect the health of the people who live here year-round and to ensure our hospital remains open because we have many residents who need to access that hospital on a weekly, daily basis.”

The region has been working hard to make sure those positive cases stay low, she said. That includes having its 18 mayors regulate their residents, but now, police monitoring, too.

“I’ve asked the 18 mayors to be the eyes and ears of their municipalities when they see things that are not in line with our prevention measures, such as a party going on, a group of people, then they know that they are to step in and say something about it, failing that we can call the police,” Toller said.