Some Americans continue to defy the rules by making side trips when driving through Canada to or from Alaska, despite tough measures introduced in July to put a stop to it.
In August, B.C. RCMP ticketed half-a-dozen Americans in two separate incidents for going off-route during their treks. The tickets totalled $4,500 in fines and, in one case, RCMP escorted a family of five out of Canada.
“There are individuals who are continuing not to follow the rules,” said B.C. RCMP spokesperson Janelle Shoihet. “Those rules are put in place in order to protect everybody.”
In spite of the tickets issued, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said that since it introduced its new measures, the vast majority of Americans driving to or from Alaska have complied with the regulations.
CBSA crackdown
To help stop the spread of COVID-19, the Canada-U.S. land border closed to non-essential travel in late March. However, Americans can still drive through Canada to Alaska, or vice versa, for non-discretionary reasons, such as for work or school, or to return home.
As a precautionary measure, drivers must take the most direct route possible and not make unnecessary stops.
Once summer hit, it became clear that some Americans were ignoring those rules afterseveral were caught taking long hikes in Banff National Park.
In an attempt to curb the problem, CBSA introduced strict new measures on July 31. Now, when Americans doing the Alaska-route enter Canada, they receive a written list of rules and the date on which they must check in with a CBSA officer and exit the country.
The list of rules the Canada Border Services Agency issues to Americans driving through Canada to or from Alaska. (Submitted by CBSA)
The list of rules — which drivers must hang from their rearview mirror — include instructions to wear a face mask, avoid contact with others and order meals via drive-thrus.
According to B.C. RCMP, each of those rules was broken on Aug. 31 when a group of three Americans stopped in Fort St. John, B.C. during their drive from Washington state to Alaska.
The trio allegedly entered a restaurant while not wearing masks, dined in, and closely interacted with two Canadian customers both inside and outside the restaurant, said Shoihet with B.C. RCMP.
“There were a number of violations.”
She said RCMP were tipped off by a restaurant employee “who was concerned about the well being of the patrons and the employees.”
Although American drivers now get a deadline for when they must exit Canada, that didn’t stop one American family from overstaying their welcome.
According to Shoihet, CBSA contacted B.C. RCMP on Aug. 29 when a family of five driving from Alaska to Washington State failed to check in at the B.C. border by their exit date.
RCMP circulated the license plate number of the family’s vehicle to law authorities.
“A keen eye of a police officer in Vancouver was able to spot that license plate and then alerted us,” said Shoihet.
The three adult family members were fined $500 each under the Quarantine Act, and RCMP escorted the family to the B.C.-Washington border, she said.
“They were given an appropriate time in order to get from border to border and they failed to comply.”
U.S. President Donald Trump responded to a question about the border as he left the White House on Friday. 0:48
CBC News uncovered a third incident where an American woman driving from Alaska to Montana was fined $1,200 for stopping at Banff National Park on Aug. 6. According to Alberta RCMP, the woman entered Canada about two weeks prior — before CBSA introduced its new measures.
RCMP said the drive to Montana should have only taken a few days and not included a pit-stop in the park.
Get rid of the Alaska-exemption?
The Alaska exemption has sparked concern from some Canadians who fear a number of Americans may be using it as a loophole to vacation here.
“You shouldn’t be stopping along the way to enjoy the sights and sounds of British Columbia,” B.C. Premier John Horgan warned Americansduring a news conference in July.
B.C. municipal politician Jim Abram of Quadra Island, B.C., would like to seen an end to rules allowing Americans to drive through Canada to Alaska during the pandemic. (Submitted by Jim Abram)
Jim Abram, a municipal politician on Quadra Island, off the B.C. coast, was never a fan of the Alaska exemption. He said Americans continuing to break the rules — despite new CBSA measures — only strengthens his resolve that it should be axed.
“Just cancel it,” said Abram, who is the elected regional director for Discovery Islands-Mainland Inlets in B.C.
“The situation in the States is absolutely abominable, and we have worked so hard in B.C. to try and keep things manageable.”
Abram said Alaskan-bound Americans have other options, such as flying or taking the Alaska State Ferry, which sails from Bellingham, Wash., and carries vehicles.
Americans are allowed to drive through Canada to or from Alaska for non-discretionary purposes due to their “limited options” for travel, said CBSA spokesperson Ashely Lemire, in an email to CBC News.
Since the agency introduced tougher measures on July 31, more than 99 per cent of Americans making the trek have complied with the requirement to leave Canada on their mandated exit date, she said.
When asked if the CBSA is at all reconsidering the Alaska-exemption, Lemire replied that the agency regularly reviews its policies and makes necessary adjustments.
“The CBSA will always take the appropriate measures to ensure the health and safety of those residing in Canada,” she said.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
