Canada-US border town mayors urge for ending Covid test requirement for travellers
Darpan News Desk IANS, 09 Nov, 2021 11:46 AM
Ottawa, Nov 9 (IANS) Some border town Mayors on both sides of the Canada-US border held a virtual news conference to urge Ottawa to cancel the Covid-19 test requirement for fully vaccinated travellers.
The conference was held on Monday as the US reopened its land border with Canada to fully vaccinated recreational travellers after 19 months of closure, reports Xinhua news agency.
The reopening of the world's longest undefended border is seen as a sign that restrictions are loosening and more international leisure travel may be on the horizon.
The Mayors said a big obstacle for travellers still remains as when entering Canada, they must take a molecular test such as a PCR test, which can cost hundreds of dollars.
They said the requirement for a PCR test to return to Canada is unreasonable and costly, calling the requirement a hard stop barrier for families to reunite except for the wealthiest of Canadians.
They argued that while the US land border is now open, the cost of Canada's test requirement will continue to hamper a return to tourism on both sides of the border.
When entering Canada, no matter how short their trip, travellers must take a pre-arrival molecular Covid-19 test such as a PCR test, which can cost anywhere from C$150 to C$300.
Canada's test requirement first caused complaints earlier this month when the US announced it would reopen its land border to fully vaccinated travellers on November 8, and not require them to take a pre-arrival Covid-19 test.
Travellers heading into the US at major land border crossings experienced wait times of up to three hours in some areas on the first day in 20 months that fully vaccinated Canadians were allowed to cross for non-essential visits, according to CTV.
Residents who leave their remote communities to access essential services need not be vaccinated to board a plane, Omar Alghabra told a news conference outside Toronto International Pearson Airport.
The task force, assembled by the D.C.-based Wilson Center, says a risk-management approach to the border would have been less disruptive and damaging than the "zero-risk" approach that was adopted.
A statement from the board says 726 commercial properties sold in the Lower Mainland between April and June, a nearly 115 per cent increase from sales in the same period last year.
The concierge was working at a hotel on Robson Street on October 8 when he confronted a man who had entered the parkade and was peering into cars. The man pulled out a knife and allegedly threatened the hotel employee, before fleeing out to the street.
Ten days of trial dates were set during a brief, virtual courtroom hearing this morning, three months after military police charged the former Canadian Armed Forces commander following a sexual misconduct investigation.
The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat says 240,000 employees have filed their attestations of their vaccine status to the government, out of approximately 268,000.
