New Brunswick may let in out-of-province cottage owners by midsummer

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs says Quebecers and residents of other provinces who own property in his province may eventually be allowed to travel therethis summer depending on public health conditions in the coming weeks.

Higgs imposed strict travel restrictions in March to limit movement within New Brunswickin an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have only been 120 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick and not a single death making it one of only two provinces in Canada, along with Prince Edward Island, that hasn't lost any citizens to the virus.

By comparison, Quebec now has 40,724 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 3,351 Quebecers have died.

In aninterview onCBC's Quebec AM, Higgs said because New Brunswick hasn't had the same exposure to the coronavirus as Quebec has, it is still not ready to let in Quebec residents.

As the province does a phased reopening of its economy,however, Higgs said, he isn't ruling out the possibility of allowingin out-of-province travellers later in the summer.

"I don't want to put a timeline limit on it at this stage," Higgs said. "Itjust depends how things go over the coming weeks."

Higgs said property owners, who after all are taxpayersin New Brunswick, have contacted him, some arguing that they're prepared to self-isolateif they're allowed in.But it's still too soon to allow that to happen,he said.

He said some people in New Brunswickare not even comfortable with the idea of people moving around within the province.

"We initially had people that didn't want other New Brunswickers to travel into their community because they were concerned about, you know, having an outbreak," he said.

Higgs said before opening the borders,he needs to evaluate how the province'sown reopening process plays out and how the number of cases fluctuatein other provinces in the coming weeks. He's hoping public health officials have enough information to make that call by "some time in July."

"I don't want to write off the summer for our friends and neighbours."

Travel corridor to Magdalen Islands

Higgs said he isalso open to the idea of negotiating the opening ofa travel corridor to allow Quebecers to get tothe Magdalen Islands.

Right now, islanders are able to drivethrough New Brunswick to get toP.E.I.and then take the ferry to the archipelago, but they are asked not to stop along the way.

The Parti Qubcois MP for the archipelago, Jol Arseneau, sent a letter to Premier Franois Legault on Wednesday asking that the government come to an agreement with its neighbour to make sure that right-of-way is maintained.

He said there could be designated rest areas where people could stop to get gas and food.

"We're in a unprecedented crisis, and I think we've got to work out solutions," said Arseneau.

On average, 80,000 people visit the archipelago every year, said Arseneau, and 80 per cent of them drive through New Brunswick to take a ferry fromSouris, P.E.I.

He suggested the CTMA Vacancier, the vessel thatnormally offers cruises from Montreal to the Magdalen Islands, could be used as an additional ferry service from the Gasp.

As Quebec gradually reopens some of its tourism activities, Arseneau said, it's important that the Magdalen Islands don't miss out on that economic revival.

With $90 millionin tourism revenues and 1,500 jobs on the line, Arseneau said, not havingroad access through the Maritimes would mean "being $90 million in the hole, and we just don't know how we're going to survive the next year."