International travellers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will once again be allowed onto Canadian soil this week as eased travel restrictions go into effect.
At 12:01 a.m. Sept. 7, all foreign nationals who have been jabbed with a vaccine authorized for use by Health Canada will be allowed into the country for non-essential purposes, and won’t need to quarantine for 14 days. To date, Canada has approved vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca.
Canadian airports are advising travellers to arrive earlier and prepare for longer wait times, in anticipation of the new rules and additional public safety precautions.
Toronto Pearson International Airport released a statement on Monday asking all departing domestic passengers to arrive at least an hour and half ahead of their flights, and for international passengers to arrive at least three hours in advance. They added the arrivals process for international travellers “could take three hours or longer.”
Meanwhile a spokesperson for Montreal-Trudeau International Airport told Global News that there have already been “longer than usual wait times” at the border in order for the airport to meet COVID-19 requirements for travellers.
The move to ease restrictions for international travellers, first announced in July, follows Canada’s earlier decision in August to allow fully-vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents into the country, and put an end to the federal government’s quarantine hotels.
The U.S. has yet to reciprocate, as fully vaccinated Canadians are still not permitted to cross land borders. Air, sea and rail travellers are exempt. The U.S. State Department’s travel advisory for Canada currently stands at Level 3: “Reconsider Travel,” citing a “high level of COVID-19.”
Meanwhile, Canada still has a ban on direct flights from India in place until Sept. 21. Travellers coming from the country through an indirect route are still required to obtain a valid pre-departure COVID-19 molecular test from a country other than India before coming to Canada.
Still, Canada’s eased restrictions mark a significant shift for the federal government, which has barred non-essential travel for non-citizens throughout much of the pandemic. Here’s what you need to know.
4:26 Where the major parties stand on vaccine passports
Where the major parties stand on vaccine passports
As of Tuesday, the federal government says foreign travellers who are fully vaccinated will be free to come to Canada as long as they are asymptomatic, have received either two doses of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine or a combination of accepted vaccines at least 14 days before entering the country and meet other pre-entry requirements.
Before boarding, anyone at least five years of age and up — even if they are fully vaccinated — will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 test that was taken within 72 hours before boarding a plane. Antigen tests don’t count.
They will also have to upload their proof of vaccination into the ArriveCAN app either in English or in French before takeoff or they will not be allowed to board.
The new rules exempt travellers from the mandatory 14-day quarantine once they have touched down in Canada, but selected foreign nationals may be subject to testing upon arrival.
Nobody partially vaccinated will be exempt from the new travel restrictions, and neither will travellers who have received one dose and recovered from COVID-19.
Global Affairs Canada said unvaccinated children under the age of 12 flying with their parents, step-parents, guardians or tutors who are fully vaccinated will also be exempt from the 14-day quarantine, but will still have to meet all testing requirements as well as an additional test after eight days.
Anyone travelling with unvaccinated kids under the age of 12 will be required to include them in their ArriveCAN submission.
Children between the ages of 12 and 17 will still have to follow all testing and quarantine requirements, even if they are accompanied by adults who have been fully vaccinated.
GAC said travellers flying with unvaccinated kids who are 12 to 17 years of age should not include them in their ArriveCAN submissions.
“Complete your submission without them so that you have a receipt for the rest of the group,” the agency said. “You will be able to provide the information for the youth(s) before boarding your flight or upon entry to Canada.”
The move to reopen Canada’s borders comes amid troubling news from the country’s top public health official, who said last week that the window to avoid a devastating fourth wave was closing quickly.
“The moment you get people back indoors to access all those important, essential things that we need to do, we will see accelerations,” Dr. Theresa Tam said Friday as she released new federal modelling that showed daily COVID-19 cases in Canada could reach 15,000 per day, unless more people get vaccinated.
Despite rising cases of COVID-19, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, who is currently seeking re-election, said Monday that Canadians and their families who have chosen to get vaccinated “deserve to get back to normal as quickly as possible.”
Trudeau said a recovering economy means “welcoming in business travellers and tourists from places around the world as long as they are vaccinated,” adding, “that’s not where the risks are right now.”
To date, Health Canada says more than 76 per cent of Canadians aged 12 years old and up are fully vaccinated, while more than 83 per cent have received a first dose.
Tim Houston, who is seeking a second term as Nova Scotia premier, said he had no plans to invite Poilievre to join him on the campaign ahead of the Nov. 26 provincial election. He explained the provincial Progressive Conservatives have no formal ties with the Tories in Ottawa — and he made a point of saying he is not a member of the federal party. Experts say it also is because the latest polls suggest Atlantic Canadians have not warmed to Poilievre. (Nov. 5, 2024)
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — It has been a rough few days for Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. First, his 19th-ranked Tigers lost to Louisville on Saturday night, then he was told he couldn’t vote Tuesday at his polling place.
Swinney, whose given name is William, explained that the voting system had locked him out, saying a “William Swinney” had already voted last week. Swinney said it was his oldest son, Will, and not him.
“They done voted me out of the state,” Swinney said. “We’re 6-2 and 5-1 (in the Atlantic Coast Conference), man. They done shipped me off.”
Dabo Swinney had to complete a paper ballot and was told there will be a hearing on Friday to resolve the issue.
“I was trying to do my best and be a good citizen and go vote,” he said. “Sometimes doing your best ain’t good enough. You have to keep going though, keep figuring it out.”
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EDMONTON – The judge leading a fatality inquiry into the knockout death of a boxer is recommending changes to how the sport is regulated and how head injuries are monitored.
Timothy Hague, who was 34, competed in a boxing match licensed by the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission in June 2017 when his opponent, Adam Braidwood, knocked him unconscious.
Hague came to and was able to walk to the dressing room, where he vomited, and was then taken to hospital where he underwent surgery for a large brain bleed.
His condition did not improve, care was withdrawn and Hague died two days after the fight.
Justice Carrie Sharpe with Alberta’s provincial court made 14 recommendations, including that combat sports be overseen by a provincial authority instead of a patchwork of municipal bodies and that there be concussion spotters at every event.
She also recommends that if a fighter receives a blow to the head in a technical knockout, they must provide a brain scan to prove they are fit to compete again.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
