“We are not in the other’s throat, but it is a very alienated relationship,” says Crystal McAteer. “There is a fracture between us. We already had problems, but it has come to the fore in the last two years.” Public health measures to try to limit the spread of COVID-19 have created a sharp gap in Mackenzie County, the least vaccinated area in Alberta. Residents and local leaders say friendships have ended, disagreements have erupted in stores and government projects have been unable to move forward amid disputes over coverage, vaccines and other pandemic reactions. “They’re like the Hatfield and the McCaws,” says High-Level Real Estate Agent Sylvia Kennedy in a nod to the famous animal-friendly families of the 19th-century American tradition. Real estate agent Sylvia Kennedy compared the friction in the county to the Hatfields and McCoys, the famous controversial families of the 19th century American tradition. (Jason Franson / The Canadian Press)
“I’m bothered wearing a mask. It ‘s really sad … This nonsense is [creating] a huge rift in our area “. Mackenzie County is larger than New Brunswick and has plenty of oil, gas and agriculture. In addition to High Level, it hosts the settlements of La Crete and Fort Vermilion as well as four First Nations. The Alberta government says just under a third of the county’s residents are fully vaccinated and about 38 percent have given their first dose. The province could not provide an analysis of vaccination rates for individual cities and First Nations. The mayor of High Level, after speaking to many companies and health workers, estimates that three quarters of the city are fully vaccinated. Beaver First Nation says 60 percent of the people living in the two shelters it manages are fully vaccinated. McAteer says its city has become “outcast” for imposing public health measures – sometimes through its own statutes when the provincial government lifts the rules – while businesses in neighboring cities made headlines because they were disregarded. The Chamber of Commerce in La Crete, an hour’s drive from the High Level, organized a bus to Ottawa as part of a so-called Freedom Escort challenging government restrictions. Some protesters stopped at the High Level for a few days to protest against local restrictions. The feud between the High Level and the county culminated in February, when the county council approved a proposal to cut ties with subcontractors and companies that had a vaccination policy for employees. A letter stated that these businesses would not be allowed to enter the county premises. McAteer says it has not spoken to the county since. “To protect our employees, High Level employees had to be vaccinated, including the fire department,” McAteer said. “They have suggested that we not be able to enter their workplaces.” Reeve Josh Knelsen says the county, La Crete and High Level “obviously” have their differences. In an interview at his office in La Crete, Knelsen said businesses have appreciated the county’s decision. He could not say how many no longer work with the county. “It was always where your political stance did not matter,” said Knelsen, who added that he had not been vaccinated against COVID-19. “I can appreciate what they do, as long as they do not expect us to do the same … The biggest disappointment I have seen through all this is the division that is being caused.” He said he and many others in the area where he was born and raised believe that “health is a personal choice” and that the government should not tell people how to take care of themselves. He and some in La Crete had COVID-19 early in the pandemic, he said, but managed to recover, although some did not. “They have a brain. Everyone has their own mind and they are very capable of using it. If you want to live in the north, you have to be a little resilient and tough. If you are very stupid, you do not survive.” “It always was there that your political stance did not matter,” said Mackenzie Reeve Josh Knelsen, pictured in La Crete, Alta. (Jason Franson / The Canadian Press)
Even without a government order, and as a child, he has never been to a family member’s home if someone was ill, he said. “I love my family. I will not put them in danger.” Knelsen said he was ready to move on from the pandemic. “This will be a bad memory in a very short time.” McAteer says the projects the High Level is working on with the county have not progressed. The city has been waiting for the county to sign an agreement in December to recognize their “inter-municipal co-operation”. “I hope we get together,” says McAteer. “What is happening in the north is good for all of us and in order to stay together, we have to work together.”