Mayors of Canadian and U.S. border cities are pushing the Canadian government to jettison COVID testing requirements it says are both overly expensive and unnecessary. Mayors from the likes of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Windsor, Sarnia, and Niagara Falls, New York, as well as upstate New York Congressman Brian Higgins, gathered for a virtual press event on Monday to denounce the current rules implemented by the Trudeau government in Ottawa. In a tidy symbolic note, the event was held just hours after the U.S. government opened its land borders to fully vaccinated residents of Canada and Mexico, as well as opening Read more
Canada
The United States will be open for business in just a few hours. The U.S. has been closed for most international travellers since March of last year. Canadians and some others have been allowed to fly to the States, but the U.S. land border with both Canada and Mexico has been closed to all but essential traffic for 20 months. Beginning Nov. 8 at 12:01 a.m., the U.S. will open its doors to air travellers from around the world, provided they can show proof of being double dosed with a vaccine approved by U.S. authorities or the World Health Organization. Read more
The Ontario government this week announced it will provide tax credits of up to $400 for families to explore the province next year. Here’s a mini-guide to things to see and do in Stratford, Ontario. Stratford is, of course, best-known as the home of the Stratford Festival; one of the pre-eminent theatre offerings in the world. Fans come from all over the world for Shakespeare performances and modern plays alike, featuring some of the top actors and actresses on the planet. But there’s a lot more than live theatre in this town, which is less than two hours west of Read more
After months and months of talking about it, the Ontario government has finally approved a “stay at home” travel tax credit to spur provincial tourism. Ontario residents who take a trip within the province in the 2022 tax year could be eligible for rebates under the new “Ontario Staycation Tax Credit” program, which was announced late this week as part of Premier Doug Ford’s Fall Economic Statement. Provincial residents will be eligible for a 20% personal income tax credit on eligible accommodation between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, up to a maximum of $1,000 for an individual and $2,000 for Read more
Test requirements for vaccinated travellers entering Canada need to be re-examined, particularly for short trips, says the country’s top doctor. On Friday the Canadian Border Services Agency reiterated the testing requirements for vaccinated travellers entering Canada in advance of the border with the United States reopening next week. But that policy is being “actively looked at,” said chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam in a Canadian Press story posted on CP24 today. “I do think that all this needs to be re-examined, as we are doing with all of the border measures moving ahead,” Tam said in a story Read more
