Ready, set, go: after being closed to most leisure trip vehicle traffic for nearly 20 months, the Canada-U.S. land border will open for fully vaccinated travellers on Nov. 8 and that has snowbirds excited.
Canadians getting set to spend the winter in the United States have been preparing to migrate south.
Some have packed up their motorhomes and trailers and are spending the weekend in towns along the border, ready to cross bright and early Monday.
Calgarians Andre and Donna Call have been camped out since Oct. 20, waiting for the border to open so they can seek out the weather they’ve been missing.
“The sun, the warmth, and we’ve made some friends down there,” Andre said. “We’ve established some good relationships, some new friends — some Americans, some Canadians.
“I like the idea of where we are: we can buy fresh vegetables and fruit dirt cheap… so you can eat a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit all winter long. It’s amazing.”
1:28 Open Canada-U.S. border means options for Alberta snowbirds
Open Canada-U.S. border means options for Alberta snowbirds – Oct 13, 2021
Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson Lisa White said the first few days of the reopening will most likely see more southbound than northbound traffic as eager snowbirds flee to warmer climates — but next weekend could be a different story.
“There might be a little bit of a pick up in local traffic down at Coutts and Carway, but I think looking towards the weekend is when we can expect to see higher volumes as a result of the of the opening,” she said while speaking to Global News from the Calgary International Airport.
Remembrance Day falls on a Thursday this year, and White said stats like that traditionally corresponded with an increase in border traffic as people take the Friday off to have a long weekend.
“Looking at pre-COVID numbers, it’s always been a popular weekend, that in and of itself could be a reason for folks to to head south now,” she said.
“There’s also a lot of family reunification that’s probably going to happen this weekend as well, right? So we can expect to see some some numbers pick up Canada-bound next weekend.”
The United States said non-essential travellers crossing land borders from Canada will be asked about their vaccination status, and only those who are fully vaccinated will be allowed through.
Proof of vaccination will be required if selected for random screening. COVID-19 testing will not be required to enter the U.S., provided visitors meet vaccination requirements, officials said.
4:22 Everything Canadian snowbirds need to know this year
Everything Canadian snowbirds need to know this year
However, the rules to return to Canada are different. Anyone crossing the border into Canada must show their proof of vaccination, must have a valid PCR test from within the past 72 hours, and must have the Government of Canada’s ArriveCAN travel application downloaded and filled out.
Those without a smartphone can also fill out the information online.
“You have to plan for your return to Canada as much as you should be planning for your trip south,” White said. “You have to make sure that you have your ArriveCAN completed — whether that’s using a computer or using a smartphone.”
White recommended drivers plan to avoid the peak busy periods — late afternoon or early evening — because crossing will take longer during the pandemic.
“Our CBSA officers will ask a lot of questions. With that added layer of the health screening questions that are now being posed, that takes extra time,” White said.
“We’re also doing PCR verification, vaccine verification, ArriveCAN verification — so all that combined, it’s taking a little bit longer than usual.”
People shouldn’t just have online access to digital forms of their documents — they should take screenshots or better yet White said, print everything off to have hard copies in case your phone dies or loses reception.
“Have paper copies of your vaccine records, have paper copies of your PCR test. Have all of that ready as a Plan B. So really, planning will make your travel, your return a lot smoother.”
White also noted that Canadians have a legal right to enter their home country — even if they catch COVID-19 while in the United States.
Anyone who arrives at the border with a positive PCR test, or is selected for random testing while trying to cross back home, will be referred to the Public Health Agency of Canada to determine next steps.
That’s why, White said, it’s critical is for all returning Canadians to have a quarantine plan — even if they don’t think they caught COVID-19 during their travels.
“Some questions that we get is, ‘Why do we have provided quarantine plan?’ Because we’re still doing testing at the border. It’s random, but it’s mandatory.
“So should you test positive upon arrival at the border, you need to have that quarantine plan to fall back on.”
3:51 The Travel Lady: What you need to know before crossing the U.S. border
The Travel Lady: What you need to know before crossing the U.S. border
One last reminder for Canadian travellers: all other border crossing rules still apply.
“So you’re entitled to $200 of goods duty and tax free after an absence of 24 hours and after an absence of 48 hours, you’re entitled to $800 duty and tax free upon return to Canada.”
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
