It’s been a dismal few days for Canada-U.S. relations. Specifically, for people in relationships with someone on the other side of the border, dealing with depressing news about their life-altering limbo.
CBC News has spoken with numerous people struggling to deal with restrictions on Canada-U.S. travel intended to slow the spread of COVID-19.
That includes two different mothers whose newborns have never seen their fathers in person; a woman completing her pregnancy alone; two other couples with children; and a couple who had their last date at the border, where it was cut short by border agents.
“Defeated,” is how a new Ontario mother, Megan Scott, described her state of mind this week.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Haylie Lynn Gadsby, who has a new baby in Windsor, Ont., while the baby’s belongings are in Michigan — with her fiancé.
“I’m absolutely miserable,” said Lori Bartell, nursing a baby in Prince Edward Island, stranded from her husband in Maine.
“I am quite mad,” said Steven Husak, who has two children near Detroit and is trying to start a new life with them in Ontario with his fiancée, whom they view as a mother. They were hoping to go camping this summer.
Eric Bartell, left, lives in Maine, and met his newborn via a video chat. His wife, Lori, who lives in Prince Edward Island, says he can’t get to Canada under the current rules. (Lori Bartell)
This week’s letdown
Two bits of news this week extended the heartache across the 49th parallel.
First, as reported by CBC News and other media, government officials expect a ban on non-essential land travel across the border to be renewed beyond June 21.
Another blow came in the fine print of an announcement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced some relaxation of the border rules this week. Some families say they won’t help the majority of people who’ve been separated from loved ones. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
He announced a relaxation of rules for travelling to Canada — but they only apply to people under specific conditions, which many stranded partners say they cannot meet.
They require a 15-day minimum stay in Canada, with 14 days in quarantine, and are only for people who meet the legal definition of being immediate family to Canadian citizens.
A new community of people has popped up to share its frustrations in private Facebook chat groups, which count hundreds of members.
They come from different places, and different walks of life, but one thing they tend to have in common is they’re at transitional moments in their lives.
Those with pending immigration applications, for example, have seen them slowed by the pandemic.
Parents, babies, separated by a border
One online chat group was started by a physician in Windsor, Ont., Ashley Cook, who is expecting a baby this summer with her Michigan husband.
“How are we treating people this way?” Cook said. “This is hurting so many people.”
She said many people can’t quarantine for 14 days.
Ashley Cook, a Windsor, Ont., physician, started a Facebook group for people affected by the border shutdown. She’s expecting a baby this summer with her husband, Tom Cook, who is in Michigan. (Submitted by Ashley Cook)
For example, Bartell’s husband is in Maine, her future home, and can’t leave for too long, as he’s running a farm with animals and a construction company.
He hasn’t been allowed to visit their two-month-old baby, and now Bartell fears he still won’t be able to under the new rules.
“I put on a pretty good front,” she said, “but I’m an emotional wreck.”
She said she leaves the phone next to her head at night because the sound of her husband breathing helps her fall asleep.
Scott, the new mother who lives near London, Ont., said her husband can’t self-quarantine in Canada for that long either, as he’s an active-duty member of the U.S. military stationed in Virginia. Her husband has been away for nearly half the life of their eight-month-old daughter.
[We’ve missed] so many milestones. First tooth, first word — which was ‘Dada,'” she said.
“[That’s] time that we will never be able to get back as a family.”
Anger over confusing, inconsistent rules
Separated couples are also fuming about what they see as double-standards — with different rules in different countries for different modes of transportation.
Take air travel. An official at U.S Customs and Border Protection confirmed Wednesday that the U.S. allows Canadian travellers in by plane.
That means someone living in a Canadian border town could visit a nearby U.S. town — provided they can get a plane ticket and fly there.
“It boggles my mind,” said April Umbenhower, Husak’s fiancée, who lives in Kingsville, Ont.
Ontario resident April Umbenhower, left, and her Michigan fiancé, Steven Husak. Husak organized couples like theirs to make a video titled, Love Is Essential. (Submitted by April Umbenhower)
Montrealer Béatrice Beuillé said she can’t understand why, in the name of public health, she’s barred from driving alone to Vermont — but it’s fine if she manages to find a short-haul flight.
“I don’t get the logic,” she said.
The Canadian government, meanwhile, said it treats land and air passengers the same way.Unlike the U.S., it has just relaxed rules for immediate family.
That can get murky, too.
A spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency said she could not give a definitive answer whether, for instance, unmarried parents of a Canadian newborn are considered each other’s immediate family.
The official suggested they likely would be, but it’s at the discretion of a border services officer. In any case, the visitor would need to quarantine and stay in Canada for the minimum 15 days.
Megan Scott, left, says her husband, Adam Scott, is active-duty U.S. military and can’t isolate from work for 14 days. As a result, he’s been away from her and their baby for months. (Submitted by Megan Scott)
Husak said people were hoping for broader exemptions this week, and many are struggling emotionally.
“This news really hurt,” he said.
Husak got to know a number of affected families when he gathered testimonials for a video about their stories.
The title of his video, Love Is Essential, is a riff on the idea that only essential workers are allowed to cross the border as a result of the agreement between Canada and the U.S.
WATCH | Husak’s Love is Essential video:
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Some of those cut off by the border closure expressed frustration that other activities are resuming, including businesses reopening and huge protests across major cities.
One Facebook group moderator urged people to stop posting about unrelated political issues — notably, the large Black Lives Matter protests.
Coping mechanisms
Ethan Gilson has a unique perspective on the longing for love.
He’s not only a fiancé stuck in limbo, he’s a mental-health counsellor in Vermont.
When asked about the effects of isolation, he mentioned studies involving rats, in which lonelier rats opted for drugs over water.
He suggested several coping mechanisms — meditation, yoga and counselling.
Gilson is also growing an increasingly unruly beard, the pandemic equivalent of a playoff beard. He’ll shave his off when he reunites with his partner, Béatrice Beuillé from Montreal.
One love story
He and Beuillé were in love before they had their first date. They met online, while she was visiting family in France, and he had her laughing so hard that she left the house to avoid waking her parents.
They finally met in person in Montreal.
“At the end of the [first] date, I told her I was going to marry her someday. She said, ‘I hope you do,'” Gilson said.
He proposed after six months, during a hike in Vermont. That was in early March.
Then the pandemic hit. “Which really sucked,” Gilson said.
Our biology is meant to be social. We’re always trying to connect.– Ethan Gilson
They managed to organize a date at a tiny border checkpoint on a hilly, country road. They set up lawn chairs on either side and talked for hours.
The next week, when they went back, they were scolded by border guards from both countries.
“They told us, ‘No, that was a mistake. We don’t want to be managing this. The law isn’t clear.’ So we continued via FaceTime,” said Beuillé, who works for a cargo company.
What’s next
She’s found this period isolating, living away from her family and Gilson, and not having even shaken a human hand in three months.
She’s tried calling government offices for information, but she got bounced from one to another.
The Canadian border is pictured at the Peace Arch Canada-U.S. border crossing in Surrey, B.C., on March 20. The closure of the border to non-essential travel has split up some families for months. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)
As month after month goes by, what most frustrates her is the lack of evidence of a long-term plan. It’s unclear, for example, what metrics governments are using to decide when to reopen the border, she said.
She and Gilson are starting to plan their wedding. He’s having a house built in Vermont. They hope to have the ceremony on the property and move in on the wedding day.
The mental-health counsellor offers a word to others struggling through this moment.
“Our biology is meant to be social. We’re always trying to connect,” Gilson said.
“This [isolation] is all going to end. This is not permanent.”
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 0.4 per cent to $82.7 billion in July.
The increase came as sales in the miscellaneous subsector gained three per cent to reach $10.5 billion in July, helped by strength in the agriculture supplies industry group, which rose 9.2 per cent.
The food, beverage and tobacco subsector added 1.7 per cent to total $15 billion in July.
The personal and household goods subsector fell 2.5 per cent to $12.1 billion.
In volume terms, overall wholesale sales rose 0.5 per cent in July.
Statistics Canada started including oilseed and grain as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade last year, but is excluding the data from monthly analysis until there is enough historical data.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
TORSBY, Sweden (AP) — David Beckham and former England coach Roy Hodgson were among the soccer dignitaries who attended the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson on Friday in the Swedish manager’s small hometown of Torsby.
Eriksson’s wooden coffin was covered in white flowers and surrounded by six tall candles and other floral wreaths as the ceremony began inside the 600-seat Fryksande church.
“It is a day of grief but also a day of thankfulness,” the priest, Ingela Älvskog, told those in attendance.
Beckham, who arrived by private jet on Thursday, greeted Eriksson’s 95-year-old father Sven and other family members with hugs inside the church before the funeral started.
Eriksson became England’s first foreign-born coach when he led the national team from 2001-06, and made Beckham his captain.
Eriksson, who also won trophies at club level in Italy, Portugal and Sweden, died on Aug. 26 at the age of 76, eight months after he revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had at most one year to live.
Some 200 seats in the neo-Gothic church from 1898 were reserved for his family, friends and players from his career in the football world, according to his agent. The remaining seats were open for the public, according to Eriksson’s wish, with a big screen set up outside the church where hundreds more gathered to watch the ceremony. The funeral was also broadcast live on some Swedish media websites.
The wooden coffin was wheeled in by pallbearers at the church Friday morning as fog wrapped Torsby — a town of about 4,000 people located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of Stockholm. Next to the casket was a photo of Eriksson on a small table. The floral wreaths included ones sent by FIFA and Lazio, the Italian team that Eriksson led to the Serie A title in 2000.
The ceremony began with somber piano and organ music, but later took on a more upbeat note with Swedish singer Charlotta Birgersson performing Elton John’s song “Candle In The Wind” and then “My Way” in a duet with Johan Birgersson, who later intoned the popular Italian song “Volare” after the family had gathered around the casket to lay flowers.
Beckham also visited Eriksson in Sweden in June to say goodbye. Others attending the funeral included the Swedish coach’s longtime partner Nancy Dell’Olio. Eriksson’s agent had said that guests from England, Italy and Spain were expected.
After the funeral, the casket was carried out of the church by eight men to the hearse. The guests then walked in a procession accompanying the coffin to a nearby museum where speeches and eulogies to the coach fondly known as “Svennis” were planned on an outdoor stage. A brass band played during the procession through Torsby, including the tune “You never walk alone” from the musical “Carousel” which has become the anthem of Liverpool, the club Eriksson supported since childhood.
The local soccer club Torsby IF, where Eriksson started his career in the 1960s, wrote on its webpage that “you also showed your greatness by always being yourself, the caring Svennis who talked to everyone and took the time, for big and small, asking how things were and how the football was going. We will miss you.”
