SUDBURY -- Work to create a joint committee on Manitoulin Island to coordinate a response to the COVID-19 pandemic took a step forward Wednesday.
Indigenous and municipal leaders met and to discuss the creation of the COVID-19 leadership coordination committee, First Nations leaders said in a news release.
"The meeting was productive, and we have agreed to hold a second meeting to continue discussions about coordinating our COVID-19 responses," said the release from the United Chiefs and Councils of Mnidoo Mnising.
The next meeting will be May 12, where they will discuss the technical makeup of the committee, the release said.
"Congratulations to all involved for participating in an honest and responsible dialogue."
The committee is the result of a travel ban set up April 25, when checkpoints were put up on Highway 540 and Highway 551 that run through M'chigeeng First Nation.
The move forced a local mayor to call on the province to step in.
The committee is a way for local leaders to work together on a response to the pandemic and avoid provincial intervention.
