Road Closure/Checkpoint FAQs
1. Who will be allowed to enter the Community Housing Area on Tsawwassen Lands? Will anyone be barred from entering?
As of March 25th 2020, all residents who live outside of the Tsawwassen Member Community Housing Area have been requested not to access the Member Community Housing Area.
Since early summer, TFN has been watching the COVID-19 numbers rise across British Columbia, and more recently in other indigenous communities. We have also heard from community members that additional measures should be in place to protect the Community Housing Area. In order to best ensure the public health and safety of Members, TFN will now be monitoring closed areas to ensure public compliance.
Effective Friday Sept 18th, TFN will be implementing a checkpoint. We are monitoring everyone at the checkpoint. The following are not restricted from entering:
- Member residents who live in the Area
- Members visiting family
- Non-Member family members
- TFN employees attending temporarily to their offices (as most of them work from home)
- Crews that work on construction sites (like the new Youth Centre and other construction sites)
- Deliveries (including food deliveries)
- Businesses coming to pay or get their business licences and permits
- People coming to get their dog licences
- Police personnel
- Buses
- People from other outside government agencies coming to TFN offices for appointments
- Contractors working on home renovations for Members
- Anyone that is a guest of Members as long as they provide a name
2. What information are you collecting at the checkpoint and what are you doing with it?
At the checkpoint, names and contact information will be collected. The information will be collected on forms that will be kept securely by Tsawwassen Government administration. There are two purposes for collecting this information:
a) On March 25th 2020, TFN’s Executive Council enacted a COVID-19 Safety Plan (O.020-2020) for the TFN residential community, which included measures to restrict vehicle and pedestrian access to Tsawwassen Lands. The collection of contact information of visitors to Tsawwassen Lands is a component of that traffic monitoring program.
b) If TFN is notified of a positive COVID-19 case in the community, the information for visitors who may have been exposed will be turned over to the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) for the purposes of contact tracing. TFN does not perform contact tracing.
Our privacy law restricts us from using this information for other purposes.
3. How long will you be keeping this information?
The forms will be retained for a period of 30 days, and then destroyed. This is in line with guidance given to restaurants and event hosts from the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.
4. What authority do you have to collect this information?
Under section 15(c) of the Tsawwassen Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“FIPPA”), personal information can be collected if “that information relates directly to, and is necessary for, an operating program or activity of a Tsawwassen Institution”.
5. Who do I contact if I have further questions about information and privacy?
For questions related to the collection and use of personal information by TFN, and the application of FIPPA, please contact Jennifer Jansen, TFN’s Information Management Coordinator at jjansen@tsawwassenfirstnation.com.
6. How will questions and comments be addressed?
For Member enquiries related to the operation of the checkpoint please email communications@tsawwassenfirstnation.com
For leaseholder enquiries related to the operation of the checkpoint please email residents@tsawwassenfirstnation.com
Questions will be posted and answered on this FAQ page. Comments will be compiled anonymously and shared with Executive Council.
7. Does the checkpoint impact residents/guests of residents of the Tsawwassen Shores development?
The checkpoint will be set up on Blue Heron Way at Swan Road. As such, residents/guests of residents of the Tsawwassen Shores development will not need to enter or exit via the checkpoint.
8. Is this a lockdown?
No. A lockdown is a serious measure that would likely involve a shelter-in-place order. We have not enacted a shelter-in-place order.
(Original posting September 17, 2020)
Continued Q and A
A “soft launch” implies that more access restrictions may be implemented. When should we expect changes?
The “soft launch” means that Executive Council will take feedback from the first week of implementation (Friday September 18th – Friday September 25th) and assess next steps at the Executive Council meeting on Tuesday September 29th.
*Question/Answer Update*
The Checkpoint will be in place until the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Executive Council has a standing agenda every two weeks to discuss any updates.
How long will the checkpoint be in place?
Please see updated answer above.
Can we expect further communication and notification for any changes to the checkpoint?
Yes. Particularly if we continue to hear your feedback and questions.
Has this approach been developed in collaboration with the BC Centre for Disease Control?
No.
Who is the company providing security at the checkpoint?
GardaWorld Security Services, a TFN JV partner
How is traffic being monitored?
Access to the Member Area is being monitored at the checkpoint. There is no monitoring in place other than at the checkpoint.
What metrics are being used in this monitoring and what geographical scope applies to this monitoring?
Please see above; the only monitoring taking place is at the checkpoint.
Is there any information on how effective checkpoints are in curbing pandemics, especially if Members can come and go?
The public health and safety measure to protect the Member Area has been in place since the start of the pandemic; the checkpoint is an additional measure to enforce a rule that is already in place. Several communities (Katzie, Musqueam, Semiahmoo) have implemented checkpoints to protect their populations. It is too early to see if these measures have been effective.
I am a leaseholder. I ride my bike down Tsawwassen Drive a couple of times a week to get to town. Will I still be able to do that?
No, you will have to take Salish Sea Drive for the time being.
(Post updated September 22, 2020)
*Question/Answer Update*
A “soft launch” implies that more access restrictions may be implemented. When should we expect changes?
The “soft launch” means that Executive Council will take feedback from the first week of implementation (Friday September 18th – Friday September 25th).
The Checkpoint will be in place until the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Executive Council has a standing agenda every two weeks to discuss any updates.
(Post updated October 2, 2020)