The federal government is holding fast to virtually every restriction it has imposed during the pandemic
With B.C.’s announcement last week that it would be phasing out mask and vaccine mandates, all 10 provinces have now set an effective end-date to their treatment of COVID-19 as a public health emergency. By April 27 — the date when Ontario’s pandemic restrictions become the last to expire — mask, vaccine and physical distancing mandates will effectively cease to exist in Canadian daily life.
Except according to Ottawa. Even as each week yields the end of another provincial COVID mandate, the federal government is continuing to hold fast to virtually every restriction it has imposed over the course of the now two-year pandemic.
Vaccination remains mandatory for any Canadian over the age of 12 looking to board an aircraft, even if it’s a domestic flight. Transport Canada is also continuing to mandate masking aboard flights and in airports.
Government employment remains barred to anyone who can’t provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination — even to employees who are “teleworking” or “working remotely,” according to official guidelines.
While the federal government dropped the requirement for vaccinated travellers to arrange a $150 PCR test in order to enter Canada, crossing the border still remains subject to a raft of pandemic restrictions.
Vaccinated travellers must still arrange a supervised antigen test (home rapid tests aren’t allowed), and they may be randomly selected for another test at the border. Unvaccinated travellers, meanwhile, are still required to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine, even if they provide a negative test result and aren’t showing symptoms.
In all cases, federal officials have not announced any eventual end-date to these restrictions — or even the metrics by which they would entertain such a thing.
In late February, Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault told a press conference that “a complete lifting of restrictions at this time isn’t good for Canadians or for Canadian businesses.”
On March 3, Conservative MP John Williamson asked Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos in the House of Commons when COVID-19 testing at the border would end. Duclos did not answer the question, and replied only that “Canadians have made the right choice and have been vaccinated and have followed public health measures.”
“It would just be nice for them to discuss what they’re looking for,” said Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at Toronto General Hospital.
Bogoch is not entirely onboard with the provincial trend towards lifting COVID mandates, particularly in regards to masking. But he said it would be nice to hear some “transparency” from the federal government on why so many of their mandates remain in place.
“I’m not sure what the federal government is thinking … even if it’s ‘we’re not sure, we’re watching this week by week,’ that’s fine,” he said.
Ottawa’s continued adherence to mandates is spawning increasing pushback from the country’s business sector.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced last Monday that he was lifting an all-out ban on cruise ships docking at Canadian ports, but with the requirement that passengers had to be vaccinated and undergo testing both before and after their trip.
“If (passengers) are fully vaccinated there is no reason why they would still need a rapid antigen or a PCR test,” Walt Judas, CEO of B.C.’s Tourism Industry Association, told CTV at the time.
Last month, when Transport Canada ended PCR testing requirements at the border in favour of antigen testing, Air Canada and WestJet both called on the feds to end testing on vaccinated travellers altogether. “Other countries have moved to eliminate pre-departure testing requirements entirely,” read a tweet from Air Canada at the time.
Last week, a coalition of Toronto-based tourism groups publicly similarly called on the federal government to drop border testing requirements for vaccinated travellers no later than April 1.
“Many countries have recognized the time to remove COVID-19 restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers. To set the stage for a complete recovery, Canada needs to join jurisdictions like the United Kingdom and Switzerland in removing restrictions that are no longer needed,” Lindsay Broadhead, a spokesperson for the Toronto Region Board of Trade, told a Friday press conference.
Federal COVID mandates are indeed making Canada an outlier among its G7 peers, particularly at the border.
The U.K. has no testing requirement on vaccinated travellers entering its borders, and doesn’t require quarantine for unvaccinated travellers. France has similarly dropped testing requirements on vaccinated travellers, and even on unvaccinated travellers if they come from a country with low COVID spread (a list that currently includes Canada).
In lieu of a negative COVID test, U.S. border authorities will currently accept proof of “recovery of COVID-19.” Canada does not have anything similar, and will still require two doses of vaccine even for a traveller who has obtained natural immunity from a COVID-19 infection.
VANCOUVER – Prince Harry is in Vancouver for the launch of a campaign to raise awareness of the Invictus Games among children and youth, one day after surprising Canadian football fans by appearing at the Grey Cup in the city.
The prince visited Vancouver-area elementary and high school students at Seaforth Armoury.
The visit comes as the Invictus Games launches a lessons program for students from kindergarten to Grade 12, making educational resources on the event’s history and purpose available online.
Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games for wounded, injured and sick veterans and other service personnel about a decade ago, and the games will next be held in Vancouver and Whistler in February.
After meeting the students and engaging in a short game of sitting volleyball on the floor of the armoury, Prince Harry told the crowd the school program could help the Invictus Games “go even wider” and “into schools in Canada and hopefully around the world.”
The prince made a surprise appearance at the Grey Cup game at BC Place Stadium on Sunday, waving to the crowd and giving an interview before joining B.C. Lions owner Amar Doman on the field.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 18, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
VANCOUVER – Environment Canada is warning about an intensifying storm that is expected to bring powerful winds to Vancouver Island and the British Columbia coast this week.
Matt MacDonald, the lead forecaster for the BC Wildfire Service, says models predict “explosive cyclogenesis,” which is also known as a bomb cyclone, materializing Tuesday night.
Such storms are caused by a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure at the centre of a storm system that results in heavy rain and high winds.
MacDonald says in a social media post that B.C. coastal inlets could see “hurricane force” winds of more than 118 km/h and create waves up to nine metres off Washington and Oregon.
Environment Canada posted a special weather statement saying the storm will develop off the coast of Vancouver Island on Tuesday, bringing high winds and heavy rain to some areas starting in the afternoon.
It says the weather system may cause downed trees, travel delays and power outages, adding that peak winds are expected for most areas Tuesday night, though the severe weather is likely to continue into Wednesday.
B.C. has been hit by a series of powerful fall storms, including an atmospheric river that caused flash flooding in Metro Vancouver in mid-October.
A lightning storm overnight and early Monday covered parts of Metro Vancouver in hail.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 18, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
CHAMPLAIN, N.Y. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in collaboration with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), will adjust hours of operation for 38 ports of entry (POEs) along the U.S. northern border, beginning at midnight, Jan. 6, 2025.
This will allow CBP to enhance border security while facilitating legitimate cross-border trade and travel. CBP officers will be deployed to busier ports of entry, enabling the agency to use its resources most effectively for its critical national security and border security missions.
These adjustments formalize current operating hours that have been in effect for more than four years at 13 ports of entry across the northern border, with eight ports of entry expanding hours. A small number of ports will see reduced hours in an effort to continually align resources to operational realities. Travelers who use these affected crossing locations will have other options within a reasonable driving distance.
Importantly, these adjustments have been made in close coordination with CBSA, to ensure aligned operational hours that further enhance the security of both countries.
CBP continually monitors operations, traffic patterns and volume, and analyzes the best use of resources to better serve the traveling public. CBP will remain engaged with local and regional stakeholders, as well as communities to ensure consistent communication and to address concerns.
The vast majority of the 118 northern border ports of entry will continue to operate at existing hours, including many with 24/7 operations. Locate ports of entry and access border wait times here.
The following are the new permanent POE hours of operation for select New York POEs:
Again, these changes will go into effect beginning at midnight, January 6, 2025.
Below is a listing of each location with the closest border crossing that will remain open 24/7 for appropriate commercial and passenger traffic:
For additional information or to contact a port of entry, please visit CBP.gov.
Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @CBPBuffalo and @DFOBuffalo
For more on Customs and Border Protection’s mission at our nation’s ports of entry with CBP officers and along U.S. borders with Border Patrol agents, please visit the Border Security section of the CBP website.
Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @CBPBuffalo @DFOBuffalo and @USBPChiefBUN
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