Windsor-Essex residents wondering who to call for COVID-19 delinquencies

As tough talk comes from various levels of government about enforcing physical distancing and social-isolation to prevent the spread of COVID-19, some residents in Windsor-Essex are struggling as they attempt to report possible violations.

"Yesterday I spent about — I would say a good six hours on the phone trying to figure out if it was like a legit law, and who's enforcing it," said Lacie Krzemien. "Because I had a complaint about someone that I know that has returned from abroad from Florida to be exact and did not quarantine and has been taking daily trips to the grocery store."

Krzemien said she phoned the Windsor Police Service's non-emergency line and was told to call the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. When she called the health unit, Krzemien said she was told to call Windsor police.

This is one of the many reports CBC Windsor has received from residents who are calling police, health officials, city councillors, and other politicians to try to get some action against those who appear to be breaking the rules.

Fines and enforcement

It's important to note that there is a difference between what the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is recommending and what is enforceable by law.

Under the federal Quarantine Act, it's an offence for most people not to self-isolate for 14 days when returning from travel outside of Canada. The federal government announced it was implementing the mandatory isolation requirement as of midnight March 25.

But according to OPP Staff Sgt. Carolle Dionne, that doesn't give police any new powers. OPP and police "will assist with requests from those designated as screening or quarantine officers" who are appointed by the Ministry of Health when it comes to these self-isolation offences.

CBC News reached out to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to find out if there are officers in the region enforcing self-isolation.

A media relations spokesperson said in an emailed statement "PHAC is working with Public Safety to engage the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and provincial law enforcement agencies to verify the compliance of returning travellers with the mandatory isolation order using a risk-based approach," and that those returning are educated at the border about self-isolating.

Meanwhile, under Ontario's Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, orders currently in place include the mandatory closure of non-essential businesses, stoppage of price-gouging on necessary items and a prohibition on gatherings of more than five people.

Under this act, the province can issue orders which are enforceable by police and come with some hefty fines.

Sgt. Steve Betteridge with the Windsor Police Service said that police can enforce any order made by the province during a declared emergency but the "main message remains education, understanding and cooperation."

Betteridge said the police are not receiving many calls related to non-compliance.

"For the most part our community is doing a tremendous job ... people are respecting and understanding a lot of things that are going on," he said, adding that police were aiming to educate the community about best practices.

However, "some" warnings were documented, said Betteridge.

The Municipality of Leamington announced on Friday that by-law officers would be working with police and OPP enforcing the provincial act. Anyone found violating an order under the act would be required to provide their personal details.

Failing to identify oneself carries a fine of $750 for failure to comply with an order made under the act, or $1,000 for obstructing any person in exercising a power if a provincial offences officer issues a ticket, the municipality wrote in a press statement.

Snitch lines

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed said on Thursday that people can report what they see to the health unit, but that it's impractical for them to get to hundreds of calls each day. He said it's hard to enforce a lot of the issues they are hearing about because of confidentiality reasons.

"We want people to take it seriously, this is not a joke. People are dying and people will die," said Ahmed, adding that the health unit will issue an order and force people to stay home if they are not complying.

But like Krzemien, Linda McDonald said nothing happened when her elderly parents living in Amherstburg tried to report a neighbour who they said was not self-isolating after returning from a trip to Florida.

"It's nothing but a runaround from everybody," said McDonald, adding that her father has called police, the health unit and Amherstburg's deputy mayor. "Nobody wants to do anything."

The provinces have opened up non-compliance hotlines or websites for the public to report people who are not following social distancing or isolation rules, and some municipalities have followed suit.

Chatham-Kent announced Tuesday that they would investigate reports about violations under Ontario's act — like non-essential businesses being open, or social gatherings of more than five people.

"I think that's a great idea," said McDonald. "I don't know what part of 'go home and stay home' they don't get."

Ahmed said Windsor-Essex is "exploring" what other regions are doing with respect to this, but at the time this article was posted there was no such announcement about a tip line in the Windsor area.