The Justin Trudeau government today will announce tougher testing rules and other travel restrictions. The Canadian Prime Minister spoke with provincial premiers on Tuesday night, and multiple sources report that tougher rules are coming to help battle the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The Toronto Star says tougher rules “include requiring Canadians who do travel abroad to once again produce negative PCR tests upon return, even for short trips outside the country of 72 hours or less — a condition that was briefly lifted before the onset of the omicron variant.” CTV News reports that the government also will begin requiring Read more
Canada
Multiple reports tonight say Canada may be ready to institute tough, new travel rules that once again restrict discretionary travel outside the country. CTV, the CBC and the Globe and Mail all state that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was speaking with provincial premiers Tuesday evening. All three quoted sources as suggesting that changes were afoot, perhaps taking Canada back many months to the days of tough travel rules. Sources told the Globe that the new rules could be announced as early as tomorrow. One source told the paper that the Canadian government “plans to ban the entry of foreign Read more
Niagara Falls is a destination that could easily rest on its laurels. Instead, its constantly evolving to keep up with the times, with new things to do and fresh twists on old favourites. A group of Canadian travel writers visited for a couple of days this fall, and we found tons of great activities and tours. One of the best additions to the region is the restoration of the old Niagara Parks Power Station, which opened in 1905 and features truly glorious industrial architecture; spacious and airy and crafted with tremendous pride. If you take a tour, they’ll show you how Read more
More than a week after the Canadian government announced increased testing at Canadian airports, they’re only halfway to the final target. Worried about the discovery of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the federal government on November 30 announced that all passengers arriving at Canadian airports from destinations other than Canada and the U.S. would need to be tested. Exactly how testing would work was unclear, and it’s been slow to roll out. Canadian Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos on Friday conceded that Canada’s airport testing, which is the responsibility of the federal government, is nowhere near its final target. Duclos said Read more
Canada’s Health Minister today warned Canadians that travelling outside the country is “risky and unstable.” He also said a formal “do not travel” warning could come later. Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Jean-Yves Duclos said the Omicron variant around the world is making international travel difficult, and that coming home is increasingly complicated and unpredictable. Duclos said Canadians should be “more vigilant” when travelling outside the country. Omicron hasn’t been a major issue domestically, he said, but “If they think about travelling outside of Canada should be a red, a big red part of their radar screen. It should be flashing, Read more
