The Members of the Committee convened their second meeting today and are pleased to report that important consensus was reached on expanding this important initiative to further enhance the representativeness of the Committee including additional Indigenous and non-Indigenous leadership.
The Committee members are also in full agreement that it is essential for the health of the people of Manitoulin Island that non-essential travelers should stay home. We ask that everyone stay home, stay safe, and do not travel onto, or off of, Manitoulin Island. In line with both Federal and Provincial guidelines, we are urging people to be sensitive to the vulnerability of many of our Island’s population and to not travel onto Manitoulin Island.
The Committee has identified a way forward through respectful dialogue and identifying those issues that unify us rather than divide the people of Manitoulin Island. Detailed work was accomplished in discussing and agreeing on a formal framework for the Committee’s ongoing work. Further, we will ensure the committee is broad enough to be fully inclusive. We exchanged ideas on what each of our communities have done so far to respond to COVID-19, and it was clear that we are all in this together.
Our next committee meeting will occur on Tuesday May 19th, and we look forward to continuing to coordinate our efforts.
