Woman who photographed crowds at Grand Lake 'poker run' defends controversial event

When Debbie Jones snapped a picture on her phone of people swimming and drinking beer together on Grand Lake last Saturday afternoon, she didn't foresee the outrage it would cause on social media and even in the Premier's Office.

She and a group of friends were supposed to take part in an annual poker derby fundraiser last weekend, but the organizers held a virtual event instead because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To keep the tradition alive, Jones said, she and about25 friends got into five boats and headed to FanjoysPoint anyway.

It's the same if you go to a grocery store. You don't know that person. But you're going to be respectful of their six-feet distance. - Debbie Jones

"If I want to blow off a bit of steam on the weekend and have a couple beers with my friends, then you know what? I think at times, we need that too."

The photo Jones later posted on social media shows a large group of people swimming and drinking together onboats andjet skis at the cove nearWaterborough, where the event, also known as a poker run, finishes every year.

This would've been the fourth year that Jones, who is from Douglas, outside Fredericton,attended the derby. Normally, itconsists ofdifferent checkpoints where boaters or jet skiersneed to draw a playing card. The object is to have the best poker hand at the end of the run.

This year, Jones and her friends skipped to the last step.

"We wanted to do what we do every other year, but with a smaller group of friends," said Jones, 43, who owns asmall business.

When they arrived at Fanjoys Point just after noon, she and her friends realized they weren't the only ones with that idea.

"There was definitely a large number that attended."

Boats tied together in rows

Jones said more than 20 boats gathered, and more than 50 people wereon site.

The province has permittedpeople to have outdoor social gatherings of up to 50 people, as long as they can keep their physical distance.

Throughout the afternoon,a number of boatswere tied together in multiple rows, while some other boats stayed off to the side and were only tied to one other boat each.

Jones said she spent the afternoon with people she knew and did not visit boats where she didn't know anyone.

"There were other rows [of boats] that you wouldn't even get to."

• Hugs in a reopened province: A refresher on COVID-19 guidelines

At no point did Jones worry about her safety or the safety of her friends, she said. They justenjoyed the sun and the water, while still feeling part of the alternative derby.

Some people have suggested the event took place "in defiance" of the emergency guidelines about large gatherings.

"It was more of, 'This is our personal decision to be social with our group of friends,'" Jonessaid. "And the event was larger than expected."

'It's not about you'

Jones's photo provoked a backlash onsocial media. On Facebook, the gathering was called a "disappointment" and the participants "Co-vidiots"

At a news conference this week, Premier Blaine Higgs pointed to Jones's picture to underscore a point he's tried to get across about reckless behaviour.

Throughout the pandemic, the premier has been telling New Brunswickers about the importance of protecting the province's vulnerable population against the deadly virus.

"It's not about you," he said. "It's about you coming into contact with a 70 or 80-year-old, and you're the reason they are infected."

Jones said this didn't apply to her.

"I don't have a 70-year-old relative that I'm worried about infecting."

She said everyone's situation is different.

"I'm certain he sees more people than I do in one week than I have in the last six months," she said of the premier.

• No new cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick

Jones said she and her friends did try to keep their distance from people they didn't know.

"It's the same if you go to a grocery store. You don't know that person. But you're going to be respectful of their six-feet distance."

Some people on social media have also argued that New Brunswick has seen a low number of active COVID-19 cases, so public gatherings such as the Fanjoys Point bash should be permitted.

No one was finedas a result of the gathering.

Gatheringsupposed to be virtual

Jody Brown, president of the Grand Lake Sno-CruisersInc.,was responsible for the virtual poker derby event, and he was disappointed when he saw the online photo of the in-person gathering.

"We thought we did everything we possibly could to make sure everyone understood it was virtual," Brown said.

He said the gathering has put a strain on the executives of the snowmobile club and will make it difficult to host future fundraisers. The money raised goes toward grooming snowmobile trails in the Grand Lake area.

"People have to take accountability for themselves," Brown said.

Jones said she does worry about the impact her photo had on people.

But she doesn't regret having a good time with friends that day.

"I don't follow this pandemic as closely as maybe I should because I want to look at my own mental health too."