The vaccination rate in the Pontiac local service network (RLS) has lagged behind the average for the rest of the province as well as the rest of the Outaouais. According to data from regional health authority CISSSO, 74 per cent of residents have their first dose, compared to 85.5 per cent across Quebec, while 68 per cent of Pontiacers have two doses, compared to 79 per cent province-wide.

Last week, at the MRC Pontiac council of mayors meeting, Warden Jane Toller discussed possible solutions with the other elected officials. They decided to ask the CISSSO for additional mobile vaccination clinics for areas like L’Isle-aux-Allumettes or Otter Lake.

In a follow-up interview with CHIP this week, Toller questioned the accuracy of the statistics and suggested that Ontarians living in Pontiac, which has many cottaging communities, wouldn’t be counted. She added that those who got vaccinated outside of the region wouldn’t be counted in the official statistics either.

Toller said that she would be advocating for at least four mobile vaccination clinics in the region’s far-flung areas, and said that perhaps clinics in the evening would be more covenant for people working outside the Pontiac. She said that previously, the notice that they got from authorities was too short.

The full interview with Toller is available below: