This may be the strongest report yet that Canada’s travel rules are about to change. The Globe and Mail today reports that Ottawa will drop the COVID-19 vaccine requirement and end random testing on September 30, as well as make the controversial ArriveCAN app an optional feature. The Globe said the changes haven’t been finalized by Cabinet, but that rules are set to change ten days from now. The paper said it got its information from four unnamed sources. The paper also said the mask requirement will remain in place for passengers on trains and planes, at least for now. Read more
ArriveCAN
There are more signs today that the Justin Trudeau government is set to drop vaccine mandates and put an end to the unpopular ArriveCAN app, perhaps within the next two weeks. The mask mandate for flights within Canada also appears up for debate. Writing in the Toronto Sun today, columnist Brian Lilley reports that “The ArriveCan app may no longer be mandatory and other remaining travel requirements and restrictions for air travel in Canada could soon be removed. If all goes well, masking could even be made optional within the next few weeks.” Lilley said he’s had conversations with senior Read more
The Toronto Star is reporting that the Justin Trudeau government may end Canada’s border vaccine mandate, and could scrap the heavily criticized ArriveCAN app. Star columnist Althia Raj reports that Ottawa is “considering turning the page on pandemic-era restrictions by ending the COVID-19 vaccination mandate at the border and scrapping random testing requirements.” Raj said the Trudeau cabinet hasn’t made a final decision, “but several sources confirmed ministers will soon weigh in on a move that could also spell the end of the unpopular ArriveCAN app.” Ending the vaccine mandate would allow visitors to flow freely into Canada, something that Read more
Is ArriveCAN Killing Canadian Tourism? Also, Airport Delays Continue + Porter Expansion Edges Closer
Is the ArriveCAN app killing Canadian tourism? A new CBC story quotes a border city tourism operator and the mayor of Niagara Falls, Ontario as saying the app has done tremendous damage to a region that relies heavily on American visitation to keep people employed. “When you talk to any businesses in town, they’ll tell you there’s a very small amount of American dollars coming in,” said Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati. “It’s been hurtful, especially after two years of COVID.” Anna Pierce, vice president of Niagara Helicopters, told the network that she’s had several calls from potential U.S. visitors Read more
American lawmakers and business officials are ratcheting up the pressure on the Trudeau government Ottawa to get rid of the controversial ArriveCan app. Nearly 1,500 emails have been sent to federal MPs and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino since the Canadian American Business Council’s new campaign, “Travel Like it’s 2019,” went live two weeks ago, The Canadian Press reports. The online campaign calls on Ottawa to scrap the troublesome ArriveCan app, a mandatory pre-screening tool for visitors to Canada, and to tackle the backlog plaguing the Canada-U.S. trusted-traveller system known as Nexus. Critics have blasted ArriveCan for causing airport congestion Read more
