Kehewin to deny entry to non-residents, unauthorized visitors at community checkpoints

In an effort to encourage less traffic and to maintain safety, Kehewin Cree Nation Chief and Council will deny entry onto the reserve for non-residents and unauthorized personnel.

This was decided on Tuesday after Chief and Council discussed their soft checkpoints, said Kehewin Communications, which were put in place to limit the traffic in Kehewin during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the nation entered a state of emergency, a curfew from 8:00pm-6:00am was put in place and soft checkpoints at entries were established.

Unauthorized visitors will be asked to leave by this motion of Chief and Council.

“These measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of Kehewin Cree Nation during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the KCN post reads.

They’ve established a permit system for people with business outside of curfew hours and can be applied through their website.

“Again, only residents and authorized personnel are allowed to enter the community boundaries if you work either in or out of Kehewin.”

Kehewin, as well as Cold Lake First Nations, have a fire ban in place, said BRFA Fire Chief Jay Melvin on Wednesday.