M'Chigeeng First Nation to take down controversial checkpoints

Highway checkpoints that restricted travel across Manitoulin Island and stirred up racial tensionfor the past month are coming down.

M'Chigeeng First Nation closed its borders April 25 to try to protect the community from COVID-19, stopping travellers coming through its territory on provincial highways 540 and 551.

In a release Monday, the First Nation says with no active coronavirus cases in Sudbury and Manitoulin districts, it is now decommissioning the checkpoints.

Chief Linda Debassige tells CBC that work is underway on Monday afternoon, but no word on when they will be completely down.

M'Chigeeng will instead restrict access into the community off of the highways that criss-cross its territory, the approachthat many other First Nations in the north have taken during the pandemic.

The release also says that the 700 cottagers who lease space on the First Nation are still not being allowed access to their properties.