Confused over Canada-U.S. border restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Perhaps you’re wondering why you see U.S. licence plates in a local parking lot when the Canada-U.S. land border is closed to tourists.
Or you’re stumped why your neighbour was able to fly to New York last week, but you can’t make the five-minute drive across the Windsor-Detroit border to visit family.
Here’s what you need to know about current Canada-U.S. border restrictions and how they may impact you.
Canada-U.S. land border rules
To help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, Canada and the U.S. agreed to close their shared land border to non-essential traffic starting on March 21. The agreement is reviewed every 30 days. So far, the border closure has been extended three times.
The current end date is July 21, and that date could be extended once again, particularly if the number of COVID-19 cases in some U.S. states continues to spike.
“I honestly don’t think the border will open until the end of the year,” said U.S. immigration lawyer Len Saunders. “Especially when you hear about more [COVID-19] cases in Arizona and Texas and all these southern states.”
The Canada-U.S. land border remains open to people making trips for essential reasons, such as for work or school.
On June 9, the Canadian government loosened its border restrictions to allow American visitors with immediate family in Canada to enter the country. Note that a boyfriend or girlfriend doesn’t qualify as family and a common-law partner only qualifies if that person has lived with their significant other for at least a year.
Visiting family members must stay in Canada for at least 15 days and self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
Ian Geddes with his wife, Birgit Heinbach, at the Peace Arch border between Surrey, B.C., and Blaine, Wash. The couple lives eight kilometres apart on opposite sides of the Canada-U.S. border. (Len Saunders)
The land border closure continues to frustrate many cross-border couples who can’t meet Canada’s requirements for reuniting with family.
Last year, Ian Geddes of Blaine, Wash., married Birgit Heinbach of Surrey, B.C. Until Heinbach gets her U.S. immigrant visa, the two are separated by the border.
Geddes said he can’t get enough time off work right now to complete a 14-day quarantine in Canada — before he can hang out with his wife and her son.
“It’s just a really tough situation,” said Geddes, who wishes the Canadian government would waive the self-quarantine requirement for immediate family.
“You should be allowed to cross into a country and see your wife,” he said. “Give us some kind of a concession.”
You can fly to the U.S.
Some Canadians may be surprised to learn they can still fly to the U.S. during the pandemic, even though the same rule doesn’t apply on the other side of the border.
With the exception of immediate family, Canada currently restricts all foreigners — including Americans — from visiting the country for non-essential travel via any mode of transportation.
The U.S., however, only prohibits visitors from entering its country if they’ve been in Brazil, China, Iran, Ireland, the U.K. or 26 European countries in the Schengen Area 14 days prior.
During the closure of the Canada-U.S. land border to non-essential travel, Canadians can still fly to the U.S. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)
Because of the bilateral agreement to close the Canada-U.S. land border, the only way Canadians can currently travel to the U.S. is by air. Saunders said dozens of his Canadian clients have flown to the U.S. with no complications during the land border closure.
“There’s a back door wide open,” said Saunders, whose office sits close to the Canadian border in Blaine, Wash. “They can just go in through the airport, and so that’s what people are doing in droves.”
Canadian air passengers also likely won’t have to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival in the U.S. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that international travellers do so, but it’s not a requirement unless specified by a particular region or state.
When Canadians return home, they must self-isolate for 14 days — as per federal rules.
WATCH | What adjusted border rules mean for families eager to reunite:
Canada is now allowing some family members separated by temporary COVID-19 travel restrictions to cross the border from the U.S. 3:22
Heinbach plans to fly to the U.S. in August to visit Geddes in Blaine. It’s a frustrating solution for the couple because, even though they live in different countries, their homes are only eight kilometres apart — typically a 10-minute drive, depending on border traffic.
But now Heinbach must fly from Vancouver to Seattle to visit Geddes in Blaine — a journey of more than three hours by plane and car.
“It just doesn’t make sense,” said Geddes.
U.S. licence plates in Canada
Some Banff, Alta., residents have complained that they’ve recently spotted American tourists and U.S. licence plates in the resort town.
“Two days ago, I saw four people get out of a car, out of a Texas vehicle,” Banff resident Nina Stewart told CBC News on June 12. “They were laughing and joking about how easy it was to get into Banff.”
Canada allows Americans to drive through the country to Alaska for essential reasons, such as for work or returning to their home. However, they’re not to make unnecessary stops along the way.
RCMP said officers fined seven Americans this week who were supposed to be driving straight to Alaska, but instead were caught taking in the sights at Banff National Park. The fines, issued under the Alberta Health Act, were for $1,200 each.
“As much as you’d want to stop and see the sights … that’s just inappropriate,” said Fraser Logan, spokesperson for the RCMP in Alberta.
Demands for government intervention in Air Canada labour talks could negatively affect airline competition in Canada, the CEO of travel company Transat AT Inc. said.
“The extension of such an extraordinary intervention to Air Canada would be an undeniable competitive advantage to the detriment of other Canadian airlines,” Annick Guérard told analysts on an earnings conference call on Thursday.
“The time and urgency is now. It is time to restore healthy competition in Canada,” she added.
Air Canada has asked the federal government to be ready to intervene and request arbitration as early as this weekend to avoid disruptions.
Comments on the potential Air Canada pilot strike or lock out came as Transat reported third-quarter financial results.
Guérard recalled Transat’s labour negotiations with its flight attendants earlier this year, which the company said it handled without asking for government intervention.
The airline’s 2,100 flight attendants voted 99 per cent in favour of a strike mandate and twice rejected tentative deals before approving a new collective agreement in late February.
As the collective agreement for Air Transat pilots ends in June next year, Guérard anticipates similar pressure to increase overall wages as seen in Air Canada’s negotiations, but reckons it will come out “as a win, win, win deal.”
“The pilots are preparing on their side, we are preparing on our side and we’re confident that we’re going to come up with a reasonable deal,” she told analysts when asked about the upcoming negotiations.
The parent company of Air Transat reported it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31. The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.
It attributed reduced revenues to lower airline unit revenues, competition, industry-wide overcapacity and economic uncertainty.
Air Transat is also among the airlines facing challenges related to the recall of Pratt & Whitney turbofan jet engines for inspection and repair.
The recall has so far grounded six aircraft, Guérard said on the call.
“We have agreed to financial compensation for grounded aircraft during the 2023-2024 period,” she said. “Alongside this financial compensation, Pratt & Whitney will provide us with two additional spare engines, which we intend to monetize through a sell and lease back transaction.”
Looking ahead, the CEO said she expects consumer demand to remain somewhat uncertain amid high interest rates.
“We are currently seeing ongoing pricing pressure extending into the winter season,” she added. Air Transat is not planning on adding additional aircraft next year but anticipates stability.
“(2025) for us will be much more stable than 2024 in terms of fleet movements and operation, and this will definitely have a positive effect on cost and customer satisfaction as well,” the CEO told analysts.
“We are more and more moving away from all the disruption that we had to go through early in 2024,” she added.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
