An emergency detour has been put in place on Highway 49 due to what OPP are calling a “community event”.
The Tyendinaga Mohawk Police tell Quinte News officers are supervising a blockade by community members, who are trying to stop people from entering the territory to attend the annual Indigenous Cannabis Cup.
The cannabis festival typically draws large crowds to the territory to sample various marijuana products and was scheduled for this weekend.
There had been some concern about the event because of the ongoing pandemic, with the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte Band Council passing a resolution last night saying it does not support the event and that anyone involved with it could be removed by law enforcement.
This Mohawk Council Resolution was hand delivered this afternoon by the 5 members of the Tyendinaga Mohawk Council. pic.twitter.com/GJ1eT8Mva2
— Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (@MBQTMT) September 10, 2020
The police spokesperson tells Quinte News a community group is enforcing that resolution.
Northbound traffic from the Skyway Bridge is being directed eastbound onto Old Highway 2, with southbound traffic pushed onto Church Lane and westbound traffic on Bayshore onto Highway 49.
There has been no word about the event being cancelled, but various social media posts from organizers insist they are taking the necessary precautions and are doing their best to keep festival-goers and community members safe.
That includes splitting events into two time slots, with scheduled cleaning breaks in-between.
We’ll update the story as more information is available.
