WestJet says it’s not aware of any coming changes to Canada’s travel rules, but that it’s pushing for changes, and for an end to the federal mask mandate. Published reports this week say the Trudeau government on September 30 will end the requirement that travellers coming into Canada must show proof of vaccination. Multiple sources say Ottawa also plans to eliminate random testing, and plan to make the controversial ArriveCAN app optional for travellers. Sources say they’re waiting on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to give the word. “As of today, WestJet has not received formal notice from the government outlining Read more
U.S. border
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has agreed to end mandatory vaccines and random testing of travellers at the border, as well as making the controversial ArriveCAN optional. But the mask mandate could remain in place for now. The CBC this afternoon quoted a senior government source as saying the agrees with his Cabinet, which the Toronto Star said had voted unanimously to make the changes. CTV News and the Toronto Star both said two government sources told them the same thing. The network said an announcement was likely on Monday, but that Cabinet was still debating the mask mandate as of Read more
Travellers coming into Canada by the land border can benefit from a one-time exemption if they forget to submit their information through the ArriveCan application, the National Post reports. Ottawa quietly made the change in May for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and extended it to all foreign nationals, including American citizens, at the end of the month of July, confirmed the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on Friday. CBSA spokesperson Judith Gadbois-St-Cyr told the Post the measures are “temporary” for fully vaccinated travellers and that the rules were changed to “provide more flexibility” to those “who may have been Read more
This was a day that held out considerable hope for many in the travel business in the United States and Canada. No such luck. Reuters reports that The Biden administration on Thursday said it was extending a requirement that non-U.S. citizens crossing land or ferry terminals at the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders must be vaccinated against COVID-19. The requirements were first adopted in November as part of reopening the United States to land crossings by foreign tourists after the borders had been closed to most visitors since March 2020. The rules were set to expire tonight, April 21. There’s no Read more
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 Read more
