There are currently no public health officials stationed at Canada-U.S. land border crossings to assist in screening for COVID-19, Global News has learned.
The union that represents border officers has been asking the government to place health officials at all major land border crossings for weeks, but so far nothing has been done, said union president Jean-Pierre Fortin.
In March, Canada closed its border to foreign nationals who had recently travelled outside Canada or the United States.
Border restrictions were then extended to include all non-essential travel between Canada and the U.S., and a mandatory, 14-day self-isolation period is now required for anyone returning.
To facilitate these measures and assist border officers in the screening process, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) stationed health officials at airports and began handing out pamphlets with information on social distancing, quarantine and other health precautions people must follow.
0:30 Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau says donations of medical masks by Huawei doesn’t mean quid pro quo on 5G
Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau says donations of medical masks by Huawei doesn’t mean quid pro quo on 5G
According to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), its enhanced screening measures at airports include directing anyone who says they feel ill or who displays signs of sickness to on-site PHAC employees for further questioning.
But this isn’t happening at land border crossings because no PHAC employees are stationed there.
And with the majority of people entering Canada travelling by land — including thousands of essential workers who cross the border daily — Fortin says the health and safety of border officers are being put at risk due to the absence of immediate and sound medical advice.
“We’re still prepared to do the work and keep Canadians safe, but a little help from Health Canada would be really appreciated,” Fortin said.
Land crossings exceed air travel
According to data released by the CBSA, roughly 478,000 people entered Canada in the first two weeks after border restrictions were implemented. About 65 per cent of these travellers entered Canada through a land border crossing.
Story continues below advertisement
Between March 30 and April 5, the most recent week for which data is available, land border crossings outpaced air travellers by a factor of almost four to one.
2:29 Coronavirus outbreak: Should you wear a face mask when leaving your home?
Coronavirus outbreak: Should you wear a face mask when leaving your home?
Fortin says the biggest advantages of having public health officials at land border crossings would be for them to see the daily working environment for CBSA officers and provide on-the-spot guidance with the screening process.
He also said he can’t understand why PHAC staff would be placed at airports and not land border crossings, especially when these sites are now the biggest contributors to cross-border travel and places like Detroit, Mich. — just across the river from Windsor, Ont. — have become epicentres for the global COVID-19 outbreak.
“If one of our officers gets contaminated and can spread the disease, we’re not going to be ahead here,” he said.
Public health officials available ‘by phone’
Global News asked Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair — who’s run point on all border-related issues during the pandemic — to explain why PHAC employees are not stationed at Canada’s land border crossings. A spokesperson for Blair’s office directed the request to Health Canada, saying it would be better positioned to provide a response.
Story continues below advertisement
Health Canada, which is responsible for PHAC, said it has several “standard border measures in place” to mitigate the risk of introducing and spreading communicable diseases in Canada, including 24-7 access to a PHAC quarantine officer from all international points of entry.
If a border officer believes someone is sick or has symptoms that could pose a threat, they will contact a quarantine officer who can make an assessment and may order the traveller to undergo a medical examination, said Health Canada spokesperson Natalie Mohamed.
Health Canada did not, however, explain why there are no PHAC employees stationed at land border crossings, nor did it explain the process by which CBSA officers at the Canada-U.S. border contact public health officials if they believe someone poses a risk.
The CBSA, meanwhile, confirmed that no public health officials have been placed at land border crossings and said initial contact between the CBSA and PHAC is done over the phone.
“We are continually assessing our operational posture with our colleagues at the Public Health Agency of Canada, including where their screening officers and quarantine officers are needed and best utilized. Should circumstances change, we will revisit,” said CBSA spokesperson Rebecca Purdy in a written statement.
The CBSA also said the health and safety of its officers is its top priority and that all front-line workers are provided with personal protective equipment and specialized training at both airports and land border crossings.
Story continues below advertisement
Anyone entering Canada who says they are sick or who displays signs of illness is provided with information on how to self-isolate and quarantine requirements.
GATINEAU, Que. – The Competition Bureau says it’s obtained a court order to advance an ongoing investigation into marketing practises by Leon’s Furniture Ltd. and its subsidiary The Brick.
The bureau says the court order requires the companies to produce records and written information relevant to the investigation.
The bureau says the practises in question could include false or misleading claims about the time-limited nature of sales or promotions, or potentially inflated regular prices used when making claims about savings.
They could also include sale claims without specifying the discount amount, as well as the use of distinct font colours for displaying prices, which the bureau says could mislead customers into thinking they are benefitting from a sale.
The bureau says there is no conclusion of wrongdoing at this time.
Leon’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 20, 2024.
Two Canadian companies have been named in separate frozen-potato price-fixing lawsuits south of the border.
McCain Foods Ltd. and Cavendish Farms are two of the companies accused of being part of a “potato cartel,” conspiring with other large potato processors by sharing pricing data in an effort to raise the price of frozen potatoes in the U.S.
The two other companies named in the class-action lawsuits are U.S. companies Lamb Weston Inc. and J.R. Simplot Co., as well as an industry association called the National Potato Promotion Board.
One of the class-action complaints was filed in an Illinois court on Nov. 15 while the other was filed in an Illinois court on Nov. 17.
The class actions have yet to be certified.
McCain and Cavendish have not responded to requests for comment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 20, 2024.
OTTAWA – The Canadian and American embassies in Ukraine are closed to the public today after the U.S. warned of a “potential significant air attack” by Russia in Kyiv.
Ukraine’s intelligence agency posted a statement today accusing Russia of spreading fake messages about the threat of an “extremely massive” attack on Ukrainian cities and urging people not to panic.
A message from the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv says it received specific information about a possible attack and out of an abundance of caution, employees are sheltering in place.
Global Affairs Canada’s website says in-person services at the Canadian Embassy are temporarily suspended.
Ukraine used U.S.-supplied missiles to strike inside Russia for the first time this week, a move the Kremlin says adds “fuel to the fire” of the war.
U.S. President Joe Biden gave the green light for Kyiv to strike Russian targets and to use antipersonnel landmines, as part of a larger effort to bolster Ukraine’s defence before Donald Trump takes over the White House in January.
Trump and his allies have been critical of American funding for Ukraine, stoking fears the president-elect could cut off supplies to the embattled country.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters this week that he has long called for allies to give Ukraine permission to strike Russian military targets.
“I have, for months now, talked about how important it is to degrade the capacity of the Russian military to strike into Ukraine with impunity because Ukraine hasn’t been able to strike on factories and military production sites in Russia,” he said in a press conference in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.
Trudeau and Biden discussed Ukraine in a bilateral meeting this week at the G20 leaders’ summit.
Trudeau was critical of the G20’s final statement, saying it was not strong enough in its support of Ukraine. Russia is a member of the G20 and this year’s statement from the leaders did not mention Russia at all.
The BBC reported Wednesday morning that missiles supplied by the U.K. have also been used inside Russia for the first time since the conflict began more than 1,000 days ago.
The Biden administration’s move is being seen as an escalation in Moscow.
Asked Tuesday whether a Ukrainian attack with longer-range U.S. missiles could potentially trigger the use of nuclear weapons, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov answered affirmatively.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 20, 2024.
— With files from Dylan Robertson and The Associated Press
