On June 25, Pelee Island along with Windsor and most of Essex County moved to Stage 2 of Ontario’s reopening plan. Like Windsor, Pelee Island is a single-tier municipality with a mayor, deputy mayor and three councillors.

Pelee Island and the eight other islands that constitute the township are not part of Essex County. The Township of Pelee Island is in fact … somewhat on its own. The island is governed by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) for all things public and community health, water and restaurant inspections, but within the Chatham-Kent–Essex riding since 2013.

The tax base is diverse.  According to Deputy Mayor David Dawson 19 percent of the properties are based on Pelee itself, 36 percent are based in the U.S. and 45 percent are based in mainland Canada.

When WECHU, the Canada Border Services Agency along with the provincial and federal governments began laying out recommendations, announcing restrictions and sharing case counts, Pelee Island collectively scratched its head.

Pelee Island is uniquely affected by multiple layers of regulations resulting from COVID-19, and determining where the island best fits has always been a question.  The federal Minister of Transport Honourable Marc Garneau restricted ferry travel in April to residents and essential workers, and essential travel only.

While the province was ready to allow short term rentals on June 5, the federal government kept restrictions on marine travel intact.  The international border closure added an extra layer to restrictions for the foreseeable future for 36 percent of the tax base.  Ferry and air service in and out of Ohio are suspended.

At time of writing, there are no known cases of COVID-19 on Pelee Island.  As the island advanced to Stage 2, ferry capacity has expanded and restrictions on essential travel eased.  The island is slowly waking up from an extended off-season and signs of life are now returning.

If you’re planning to vacation locally this summer be sure to visit Ontarioferries.com to familiarize yourself with ferry schedules and COVID-19 protocols.  It’s important to understand that not all businesses will be open seven days a week, if at all. WECHU requires face masks in all commercial establishments on Pelee Island.

Visit Pelee.org/covid19/whatsopen/ for more information on island business and services.

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Cathy + Kevin Miller
Inn Keeps
The Wandering Dog Inn
1060 East West Rd. Pelee Island
www.thewanderingdoginn.com

Photo from Cathy Miller