Fully vaccinated Canadians taking short trips out of the country will no longer be required to take COVID-19 tests before returning home, multiple sources report. Both the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail report that the government will introduce a rule waiving the need for tests for anyone who’s outside of Canada less than 72 hours. PCR tests, also known as molecular tests, would still be required for trips longer than 72 hours. Those tests can cost $200 or more in the U.S. The CBC said the change likely will be made near the end of the month, just Read more
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Vancouver tourism and travel officials are keeping the heat on the federal government over mandatory PCR tests. Together with the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, leaders representing the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, the British Columbia Hotel Association, Vancouver based travel agencies and Destination Vancouver today called on the Trudeau government to remove unnecessary and non-science-based obstacles to international travel, such as the pre-departure PCR test for fully vaccinated travellers, threatening the survival of Vancouver businesses and freezing business travel. “The PCR test is a major barrier for international visitors who hope to travel to Vancouver and other parts of Read more
Business owners in Banff are urging the Canadian government to get rid of costly and cumbersome testing requirements that are scaring away vital customers. Pete Woods President and CEO of SkiBig3, which represents Mt. Norquay, Banff Sunshine and Lake Louise Ski Resort, said the government’s requirement that visitors provide a negative PCR-style COVID-19 teset result before coming into the country is scaring away international customers that Banff tourism operators rely on. Speaking on the edge of snow-packed slopes at Mt. Norquay, which opened for skiing last weekend, Woods said Ottawa needs to “remove unnecessary and redundant measures that still hang Read more
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
Canadian government testing rules are too expensive for families and are simply “irrational,” critics suggest. The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, speaking on behalf of families and the business community across Canada, are asking the Trudeau government to remove “unnecessary and non-science-based obstacles to international travel,” such as the pre-departure PCR test for fully vaccinated travellers, which it says disproportionately impact average Canadian families. The Roundtable also is calling on the government to amend the discriminatory child policy for travelling minors. For the average Canadian family, travel is becoming increasingly difficult. The burdensome cost of a PCR test can add Read more
