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.
TORONTO – Will Taylor Swift bring chaos or do we all need to calm down?
It’s a question many Torontonians are asking this week as the city braces for the massive fan base of one of the world’s biggest pop stars.
Hundreds of thousands of Swifties are expected to descend on downtown core for the singer’s six concerts which kick off Thursday at the Rogers Centre and run until Nov. 23.
And while their arrival will be a boon to tourism dollars, it could further clog the city’s already gridlocked streets.
Swift’s shows collide with other scheduled events at the nearby Scotiabank Arena, including a Toronto Raptors game on Friday and a Toronto Maple Leafs game on Saturday.
Some locals have already adjusted their plans to avoid the area.
Aahil Dayani says he and some friends intended to throw a birthday bash for one of their pals, until they realized it would overlap with the concerts.
“Ultimately, everybody agreed they just didn’t want to deal with that,” he said.
“Something as simple as getting together and having dinner is now thrown out the window.”
Dayani says the group rescheduled the birthday party for after Swift leaves town. In the meantime, he plans to hunker down at his Toronto residence.
“Her coming into town has kind of changed up my social life,” he added.
“We’re pretty much just not doing anything.”
Max Sinclair, chief executive and founder of A.I. technology firm Ecomtent, has suggested his employees stay away from the company’s downtown offices on concert days, since he doesn’t see the point in forcing people to endure potential traffic jams.
“It’s going to be less productive for us, and it’s going to be just a pain for everyone, so it’s easier to avoid it,” he said.
“We’re a hybrid company, so we can be flexible. It just makes sense.”
Toronto Transit Commission spokesperson Stuart Green says the public agency has been preparing for over a year to ease the pressure of so many Swifties in one confined area.
Dozens of buses and streetcars have been added to the transit routes around the stadium, while the TTC has consulted with the city on how to handle potential emergency scenarios.
“There may be some who will say we’re over-preparing, and that’s fair,” Green said.
“But we know based on what’s happened in other places, better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Electronic Arts has incorporated the Professional Women’s Hockey League into its NHL 25 video game.
The six teams starting their second seasons Nov. 30 will be represented in “play now,” “online versus,” “shootout” and “season” modes, plus a championship Walter Cup, in the updated game scheduled for release Dec. 5, the PWHL and EA Sports announced Wednesday.
Gamers can create a virtual PWHL player.
The league and video game company have agreed to a multi-year partnership, the PWHL stated.
“Our partnership with EA SPORTS opens new doors to elevate women’s hockey across all levels,” said PWHL operations senior vice-president Amy Scheer in a statement.
“Through this alliance, we’ll develop in-game and out-of-game experiences that strengthen the bond between our teams, players, and fans, bringing the PWHL closer to the global hockey community.”
NHL 22 featured playable women’s teams for the first time through an agreement with the International Ice Hockey Federation.
Toronto Sceptres forward Sarah Nurse became the first woman to appear on the video game’s cover in 2023 alongside Anaheim Ducks centre Trevor Zegras.
The Ottawa Charge, Montreal Victoire, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens round out the PWHL. The league announced team names and logos in September, and unveiled jerseys earlier this month.
“It is so meaningful that young girls will be able to see themselves in the game,” said Frost forward Taylor Heise, who grew up playing EA’s NHL games.
“It is a big milestone for inclusivity within the hockey community and shows that women’s prominence in hockey only continues to grow.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
Maple Leaf Foods Inc. continued to navigate weaker consumer demand in the third quarter as it looked ahead to the spinoff of its pork business in 2025.
“This environment has a particularly significant impact on a premium portfolio like ours and I want you to know that we are not sitting still waiting for the macro environment to recover on its own,” said CEO Curtis Frank on a call with analysts.
Frank said the company is working to adapt its strategies to consumer demand. As inflation has stabilized and interest rates decline, he said pressure on consumers is expected to ease.
Maple Leaf reported a third-quarter profit of $17.7 million compared with a loss of $4.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company says the profit amounted to 14 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a loss of four cents per share a year earlier. Sales for the quarter totalled $1.26 billion, up from $1.24 billion a year ago.
“At a strategic level … we’re certainly seeing the transitory impacts of an inflation-stressed consumer environment play through our business,” Frank said.
“We are seeing more trade-down than we would like. And we are making more investments to grow our volume and protect our market share than we would like in the moment. But again, we believe that those impacts will prove to be transitory as they have been over the course of history.”
Financial results are improving in the segment as feed costs have stabilized, said Dennis Organ, president, pork complex.
Maple Leaf, which is working to spin off its pork business into a new, publicly traded company to be called Canada Packers Inc. and led by Organ, also said it has identified a way to implement the plan through a tax-free “butterfly reorganization.”
Frank said Wednesday that the new structure will see Maple Leaf retain slightly lower ownership than previously intended.
The company said it continues to expect to complete the transaction next year. However, the spinoff under the new structure is subject to an advance tax ruling from the Canada Revenue Agency and will take longer than first anticipated.
Maple Leaf announced the spinoff in July with a plan to become a more focused consumer packaged goods company, including its Maple Leaf and Schneiders brands.
“The prospect of executing the transaction as a tax-free spin-off is a positive development as we continue to advance our strategy to unlock value and unleash the potential of these two unique and distinct businesses,” Frank said in the news release.
He also said that Maple Leaf is set on delivering profitability for its plant protein business in mid-2025.
“This includes the recent completion of a procurement project aimed at leveraging our purchasing scale,” he said.
On an adjusted basis, Maple Leaf says it earned 18 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 13 cents per share in the same quarter last year.
The results were largely in line with expectations, said RBC analyst Irene Nattel in a note.
Maple Leaf shares were down 4.5 per cent in midday trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange at $21.49.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
