Ontario border city mayors and Canadian tourism groups are asking the Trudeau government to abolish COVID-19 testing at Canada and border crossings.
Mayors of Windsor, Niagara Falls and Sarnia in Ontario and Niagara Falls, N.Y, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada and the Hotel Association of Canada held a news conference to discuss the issue today, the CBC reports.
Starting Monday, February 28, fully vaccinated Canadians and visitors coming into Canada will be able to show a negative result from a rapid antigen test, rather than an expensive, PCR or molecular-style test. It’s an improvement, but tourism officials still worry it will keep visitors away.
“You still have to go through the hassle of clicking the box, making the appointment, finding a pharmacy that is available,” Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said.
According to the CBC, Niagara Falls, Ontario Mayor Jim Diodati said about 40,000 people in the city depend on the tourism industry “to feed their families.”
“Travellers are a lot like water. They’re going to take the path of least resistance and that may include bypassing Canada,” he said.
The CBC quoted Diodati as saying that visitors can’t keep up with the changing rules.
“The rules keep changing and it’s a labyrinth … so people are just going to choose not to come. They hear about the horror stories at the border.”
Tourism and hotel officials said would-be visitors to Canada are already booking their summer holidays. Without changes at the border, they worry business owners will miss a third straight summer, which is their most lucrative season.
“Their businesses are hanging on by a thread and we’re looking for predictability. If we miss this season, there is no industry standing on the other side of this,” said Susie Grynol, president and chief executive officer of the Hotel Association of Canada.
