The federal government has a message for Canadians: Now is not the time to travel.
On Monday, Canada’s mandatory COVID-19 quarantine hotel stays will go into effect. The new rule is part of an effort to reduce non-essential travel and get ahead of the new virus variants — three of which have already been confirmed inside the country.
Anyone flying into Canada will be forced to stay in an approved hotel either in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario or Quebec while they await negative test results.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had initially touted a hefty $2,000 stay per room, but the cost is expected to be much lower and will be set by the hotels.
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A spokesperson from the Hotel Association of Canada told Global News the cost of each stay will “vary between hotels, with additional fees for meals, augmented security, supervised movement to outdoor areas, designated transportation, and additional infection control measures.”
However, the association added it “will continue to implement the advice of public health experts including the best practices provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) for those specific hotels.”
What can you expect?
Each privately owned hotel has agreed to meet operational guidelines and selection criteria set by the federal government.
Health Canada said it will allow people who own cars that have been parked at one of these airports to drive themselves there. Those without their own vehicles will be allowed to take either a designated shuttle bus, taxi or limousine.
Travellers will not be allowed to leave their rooms unless escorted by an official for monitored outdoor time, but all guests will be provided free Wi-Fi, as well as contactless meal deliveries to their door. Alcohol and cannabis are not considered essential, and won’t be delivered.
Try not to make a mess: toiletries will be delivered, but there will be no room cleaning service for the duration of a guest’s stay to help prevent any possible spread of infection between guests and staff members.
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1:02 Trudeau says hotel quarantine for travellers to begin Feb. 22
Trudeau says hotel quarantine for travellers to begin Feb. 22 – Feb 12, 2021
Masks will be mandatory for anyone staying at the hotel and will be required when speaking face-to-face with hotel staff, when opening the door to retrieve breakfast, lunch and dinner, and whenever a guest is being escorted to or from their room.
Private security firms hired by the federal government are expected to help enforce the 14-day mandatory quarantine and conduct in-person compliance visits, PHAC has said.
The agency said $2-million contracts were awarded to G4S Secure Solutions (Canada) Ltd., GardaWorld and Paladin Risk Solutions. PHAC added that the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires, an organization that hires Canadian Armed Forces veterans and retired RCMP officers, was also selected to help make in-person visits.
Anyone who tests positive will be required to stay a full 14 days, either in a “federally designated quarantine facility or other suitable location.”
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The penalty for breaking the rules is high. The federal government said fines can go up to $3,000 for “a day of non-compliance,” and breaking any quarantine or isolation rules when entering Canada could land travellers a fine of up to $750,000 or up to six months in jail.
Breaking from those requirements and causing death or serious bodily harm is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000,000 or up to three years in prison.
The federal government also outlines these guidelines on its website, here.
The 14 hotels listed by the federal government are:
Alberta: Calgary International Airport (YYC)
Calgary Airport Marriott In-Terminal Hotel
Acclaim Hotel
British Columbia: Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
Fairmont Vancouver Airport
Radisson Vancouver Airport
The Westin Wall Centre, Vancouver Airport
Ontario: Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ)
Alt Hotel Pearson Airport
Fairfield Inn & Suites Toronto Airport
Four Points by Sheraton
Holiday Inn Toronto International Airport
Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Toronto International Airport
Quebec: Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL)
Aloft Montreal Airport
Crowne Plaza Montreal Airport
Holiday Inn Express and Suites Montreal Airport
Montreal Airport Marriott In-Terminal
1:58 COVID-19: Calgary Hotel Association worries about quarantine ‘wrath’ against members
COVID-19: Calgary Hotel Association worries about quarantine ‘wrath’ against members – Feb 1, 2021
Will it work?
Experts say it is too soon to give a definitive “yes” or “no.”
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Currently, non-essential travel accounts for between 1 and 2 per cent of COVID-19 variant cases detected in Canada.
That number may seem small, but Kerry Bowman, a bioethicist with the University of Toronto, told Global News “we wouldn’t have (those) variants if it wasn’t for international people coming in.”
He said the question of whether quarantine hotels were justified, but raised concerns that travellers would try to “game the system” and undermine the government’s initiative.
“This is not the type of thing that a Canadian society would normally do, but I think the threat of the variance really changes that,” he said.
“If you look at some countries that have been crazy successful like Australia and New Zealand, compared to us, quarantine has been central to their strategy.”
Conservative health critic Michelle Rempel Garner questioned PHAC representatives on Friday whether there was data that would suggest the quarantine hotels would be more effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19 than quarantining at someone’s home.
However, PHAC was unable to immediately provide an answer.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
