Canadian travel to the US or other countries C-19 What’s up?

[moonstone]

this is going to be a very cold and long winter for many

Air Transat cancels most winter flights out of Western Canada due to COVID-19 pandemic | Globalnews.ca

Air Transat said it is scrubbing routes that were slated to take off from Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria.

globalnews.ca

Yes, we are afraid we might not be going to Belize this winter even though the country seems to have the virus transmission under control. We are not looking forward to an additional 3 months of snow and cold. We have friends who purchased a large travel trailer last fall and took it to Florida to leave it at an RV resort so they can fly back and forth. They only used it for a total of 5 weeks after getting it down there and hoped to spend 3 or 4 months in the trailer this winter since they are retiring this fall. They doubt they'll be going to Florida and are now realizing if they still had their trailer up here they could be using it all this summer while working 'from home'.


~Diane

 

[MULTIZ321]

Canada cracks down on those traveling through the country to get to Alaska.

Canada cracks down on those traveling through the country to get to Alaska | CNN

People who choose to travel to Alaska through Canada are facing stricter rules starting Friday.

www.cnn.com

Richard

 

[AJCts411]

Hardly a crackdown. The Government is enforcing the rules, and with that a better way to identify the transients. There were a very small few that previously bent and broke the rules...as far as one can tell one received a heft fine. IMO All this kind of reporting, and there is plenty over here, is doing is creating the reasoning for those USA plated cars, here legally like relatives, essential workers to be confronted or vandalized by the brainless.

Air Transat...looks like they are increasing the funneling of travelers to Toronto or Montreal hubs. In all probability, there are not sufficient passengers to fill the flights from all cities. We used AT at least one a year before the covid and have met vacationers at our destinations from the west flying via Toronto and Montreal. These are locations that only have once or twice a week flights. Checking our destinations, the cost of the flights are a less than last year, the big difference I notice is in the premiums for the upgrades...this cost seems to be a better deal now. Certainly would like to return this winter, but with the lack of health care (to our standards) and the pressure on local governments to re-open the (major economy) tourist trade, thats gong to be a wait and see.

Rumors have it (from our boarder town)...the Canada/USA boarder may re-open Aug 21st. For personal and business reasons I welcome this, but for health reasons...I'm on the fence only because some selfish people cannot make the right decisions.

 

[moonstone]

Canada cracks down on those traveling through the country to get to Alaska.

Canada cracks down on those traveling through the country to get to Alaska | CNN

People who choose to travel to Alaska through Canada are facing stricter rules starting Friday.

www.cnn.com

Richard

I read that yesterday and wonder how they are going to enforce that hang tag ID? I can see people ripping it off a few miles from the border and telling people who ask that they've been in the Province/Canada for many weeks. Is the computer at the border going to keep track of license plates to see if they exit at the Alaskan border a few days later? And if they don't show up, will it give their information to the police to watch for them?
It seems like a good idea on paper but I don't know how practical it is.


~Diane

 

[CanuckTravlr]

As a former Customs and Immigration officer (many years ago), let's give some benefit of intelligence to those in charge for figuring out a way to do this that allows tracking of any non-compliant travellers. This is a reasonable additional measure to prevent the few dishonest travellers from abusing the system. According to the article below, there have been six Americans fined for the violations in Banff National Park and another six for quarantine violations in British Columbia.

Canada cracking down on Americans entering country to get to Alaska

Canada has announced new restrictions against Americans entering the country in an attempt to crack down on the so-called 'Alaska loophole.'

www.ctvnews.ca

The new system is a hang-tag that goes on the rear-view mirror inside the car. It must be handed back to a CBSA officer before leaving Canada and re-entering the USA. It has a date on it to remind the traveller of the date they are expected to leave Canada. I assume the tags have some sort of identifier, such as a number or code, to match to CBSA records. This would normally be linked to the licence plate and passport information of the driver, which has been collected for some time. In addition, Alaskan transit entry/exit on the southern border is now restricted to five border crossings, one each in Saskatchewan and Alberta and three in British Columbia.

Travel History Report

A Travel History Report is a record of a traveller’s entries into Canada.

www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca

With respect to the so-called "over-reporting" of these violators, let's get real. News reports the unusual, not the usual. I also don't agree with people taking the law into their own hands on cars with American plates. But let's not over-hype the number of people acting out in that way either!! IMO, most of these are due to a small, often vocal, self-righteous minority. The news reports also helped educate people on the many reasons someone with an American plate might legitimately be present in Canada.

In Ontario, it didn't even have to be out-of-province plates. Here, people going to their summer homes in "cottage country" were getting similar reactions, even with Ontario plates, if their licence plates had brackets from Toronto-area dealers!! This despite the fact, that in many cottage area counties, the cottage owners pay most of the property taxes!! There is no accounting for the lunatic fringe, but let's not overplay their impact and encourage them in their self-righteousness.

 

[MULTIZ321]

Canada's last fully intact ice shelf has suddenly collapsed, forming a Manhattan-sized iceberg

Canada's last fully intact ice shelf has suddenly collapsed, forming a Manhattan-sized iceberg

The 4,000-year-old ice shelf fell apart at the end of July as summer temperatures soared, scientists said.

www.businessinsider.com

.


Richard

 

[am1]

Why even let Americans in who are traveling to Alaska. They can use a ship or plane.

 

[moonstone]

Why even let Americans in who are traveling to Alaska. They can use a ship or plane.

There are no cruise ships running right now, or the foreseeable future, and many of those who are travelling thru to Alaska are in RV's which is the most scenic way to see the country. If people flew to Alaska they'd need to rent a car and hotel rooms and eat in restaurants, not so with an RV. There seemed to be a lot of Americans just using the excuse that they were travelling to Alaska (which is allowed) but they were really just wanting to vacation in Alberta or BC. I did hear a report of a couple from some mid-west state who were trying to cross the border at Niagara Falls by saying they were on their way to to Alaska. They were asked why they came so far east to go west and had no answer -they were refused entry into Canada.


~Diane

 

[am1]

There are no cruise ships running right now, or the foreseeable future, and many of those who are travelling thru to Alaska are in RV's which is the most scenic way to see the country. If people flew to Alaska they'd need to rent a car and hotel rooms and eat in restaurants, not so with an RV. There seemed to be a lot of Americans just using the excuse that they were travelling to Alaska (which is allowed) but they were really just wanting to vacation in Alberta or BC. I did hear a report of a couple from some mid-west state who were trying to cross the border at Niagara Falls by saying they were on their way to to Alaska. They were asked why they came so far east to go west and had no answer -they were refused entry into Canada.


~Diane

Passenger ships could be used. Why does Canada need to accommodate RVer or people who would have to rent a car, hotel room in Alaska. If its too much of issue they can choose to not go. My solution solves the problem.

 

[moonstone]

Passenger ships could be used. Why does Canada need to accommodate RVer or people who would have to rent a car, hotel room in Alaska. If its too much of issue they can choose to not go. My solution solves the problem.

Canada doesn't need to accommodate people but right at the start of all this Covid stuff both Canada and the USA said neither of them would prohibit their citizens from returning to their own country. It's called being good neighbours. So even if an American doesn't live in Alaska, Canada wont forbid them from going there, but they are supposed to go directly to Alaska, not sightsee or shop along the way. It is just unfortunate that Alaska isn't attached to the rest of the USA and the only way to drive there is thru BC.

Similarly when we & fellow Canadians were caught in Mexico or parts of the Caribbean at the start of the shut down, the USA allowed us to take a flight that connected in the USA, or for others, drive (in a car or RV) thru the USA to get home to Canada. We were not allowed to stay and sightsee or shop along the way. I know of RV'ers who were denied overnight parking in campgrounds during their drive home from Florida due to their Canadian license plates. The US didn't force any Canadians to fly over the country instead of driving thru it, and Canada is doing the same. People just need to follow/obey they rules.


~Diane

 

[am1]

Canada doesn't need to accommodate people but right at the start of all this Covid stuff both Canada and the USA said neither of them would prohibit their citizens from returning to their own country. It's called being good neighbours. So even if an American doesn't live in Alaska, Canada wont forbid them from going there, but they are supposed to go directly to Alaska, not sightsee or shop along the way. It is just unfortunate that Alaska isn't attached to the rest of the USA and the only way to drive there is thru BC.

Similarly when we & fellow Canadians were caught in Mexico or parts of the Caribbean at the start of the shut down, the USA allowed us to take a flight that connected in the USA, or for others, drive (in a car or RV) thru the USA to get home to Canada. We were not allowed to stay and sightsee or shop along the way. I know of RV'ers who were denied overnight parking in campgrounds during their drive home from Florida due to their Canadian license plates. The US didn't force any Canadians to fly over the country instead of driving thru it, and Canada is doing the same. People just need to follow/obey they rules.


~Diane

It is very fortunate that Alaska is not connected the of the USA. A transcontinental railroad was built to prevent that if I remember high school history correctly. Sea to Shining Sea to Shining Sea.

Getting people to follow the rules is the problem. Give people an inch and they want a mile. Next people traveling between the lower 48 and Alaska will want to bring in their hand guns and assault rifles.

If I was PM I would have closed the border to all no essential travel of foreigners.

 

[AJCts411]

It is very fortunate that Alaska is not connected the of the USA. A transcontinental railroad was built to prevent that if I remember high school history correctly. Sea to Shining Sea to Shining Sea.

Getting people to follow the rules is the problem. Give people an inch and they want a mile. Next people traveling between the lower 48 and Alaska will want to bring in their hand guns and assault rifles.

If I was PM I would have closed the border to all no essential travel of foreigners.

In fact those entering Canada and those traveling thought to Alaska can fill out a form an legally bring their guns into Canada and though Canada. Chastising everyone, labeling them as all the same and responding in that manner is not fair or just. The very few...handful...breaking the rules are being dealt with. Seems that these few incidents are being over reported upon for a political outcome. For me, its open the boarder when it is deemed reasonable for health reasons, not political, and the sooner the better.

 

[am1]

In fact those entering Canada and those traveling thought to Alaska can fill out a form an legally bring their guns into Canada and though Canada. Chastising everyone, labeling them as all the same and responding in that manner is not fair or just. The very few...handful...breaking the rules are being dealt with. Seems that these few incidents are being over reported upon for a political outcome. For me, its open the boarder when it is deemed reasonable for health reasons, not political, and the sooner the better.

I will disagree that it is right that people traveling to Alaska through Canada can bring hand guns an else into the country if they would otherwise would not be allowed to. Proper permits for rifles, shotguns, historical guns and even competition pistols are ok to me. Other wise ship them direct. It is political that non Canadians/residents are able to travel from the mainland USA to Alaska through Canada. And it is a shame.

 

[jabberwocky]

I think we should be neighbourly and provide a right of passage for those needing to go between the US mainland and Alaska. It’s just a decent thing to do.

By all means enforce the rules, but just because someone is from the US doesn’t mean they are packing heat, infected with Covid and going to vacation in Banff. Most Americans do follow the rules and are respectful.

 

[am1]

I think we should be neighbourly and provide a right of passage for those needing to go between the US mainland and Alaska. It’s just a decent thing to do.

By all means enforce the rules, but just because someone is from the US doesn’t mean they are packing heat, infected with Covid and going to vacation in Banff. Most Americans do follow the rules and are respectful.

Even if you are right what if the definition of someone needing to go to Alaska or the mainland by car? Maybe a 14 day solo quaratine upon entering Canada? Remember the Blue Jays have been playing home games on the road and now in Buffalo, loved ones have had to have picnics in the ditch between the two countries with or without being able to touch each other for months now and the Canadian government just lets in people "needing" to go to Alaska? A joke all around.

 

[jabberwocky]

Even if you are right what if the definition of someone needing to go to Alaska or the mainland by car? Maybe a 14 day solo quaratine upon entering Canada? Remember the Blue Jays have been playing home games on the road and now in Buffalo, loved ones have had to have picnics in the ditch between the two countries with or without being able to touch each other for months now and the Canadian government just lets in people "needing" to go to Alaska? A joke all around.

What good would a 14 day quarantine do for those transiting through? To me that would raise risks by increasing the number of interactions they have in Canada.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about this pandemic is that we seem to forget basic human values which include being a warm and welcoming people to people from “elsewhere”. This pervasive fear of outsiders leads to tires being slashed, car windows smashed and harassing people because they have out-of-province plates. Unfortunately, we don’t have many willing to publicly stand up and challenge this repulsive behaviour.

I trust that border officials can make the correct call on who to admit or deny entry to based on the current rules, and right now those rules say transit to Alaska is permitted.

 

[am1]

What good would a 14 day quarantine do for those transiting through? To me that would raise risks by increasing the number of interactions they have in Canada.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about this pandemic is that we seem to forget basic human values which include being a warm and welcoming people to people from “elsewhere”. This pervasive fear of outsiders leads to tire being slashed, car windows smashed and harassing people because they have out-of-province plates. Unfortunately, we don’t have many willing to publicly stand up and challenge this repulsive behaviour.

I trust that border officials can make the correct call on who to admit or deny entry to based on the current rules, and right now those rules say transit to Alaska is permitted.

No a 14 day quarantine would be a hotel room at best and then meals delivered and thats it. Transiting through Canada from the mainland USA to Alaska or verse is a lot longer than the 6 hour limit Panama will allow this Friday for stopovers.

It is all a matter of opinion but where I am people were limited to crossing a 100 metre bridge for 3 months (me included even though I have a beach house 20 minutes away). I could cross to visit my farm and farm related activities that were needed. It has been 5 months where people in other parts of the country have been limited to leaving for 2 hours/ 3 times a week but men just 2 hours 2 times a week. All based on sex and last digit of ID. Set police check points every 100 000 people in an area and maybe you would feel differently as well.
No liquor sales for 2 months.

If it is such an issue maybe the USA should sell Alaska at cost to Canada.

 

[moonstone]

This afternoon it was announced that the Canadian / US border will remain closed until September 21st except for essential or commercial traffic.
I would be surprised if it even opens then.

~Diane

 

[Retired!]

What good would a 14 day quarantine do for those transiting through? To me that would raise risks by increasing the number of interactions they have in Canada.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about this pandemic is that we seem to forget basic human values which include being a warm and welcoming people to people from “elsewhere”. This pervasive fear of outsiders leads to tires being slashed, car windows smashed and harassing people because they have out-of-province plates. Unfortunately, we don’t have many willing to publicly stand up and challenge this repulsive behaviour.

I trust that border officials can make the correct call on who to admit or deny entry to based on the current rules, and right now those rules say transit to Alaska is permitted.

I absolutely agree-- I worry about the long -term effect that this COVID -bred xenophobia that seems very acceptable at the moment , will have. Not always easy to undo attitudes.

 

[jabberwocky]

So here is a question for Canadian constitutional lawyers (if there are any in TUG land).

My questions are: does the privy council still function while parliament is prorogued?

If it does still function, can an order-in-council be published while parliament is prorogued?

The reason I ask is because the current travel ban from the US will expire on Sept 21. The register also states that the quarantine requirements are in effect until August 31 (not sure if this was extended since the last extension on July 30 - it’s not published if it was.)

 

["Roger"]

With regard to the Canadians cracking down on Americans violating the ban on lingering in Canada while supposedly just travelling through.

A Kentucky man is facing $569,000 in fines after being accused of violating Canada's COVID-19 rules

John Pennington, 40, of Walton, Kentucky, was arrested and charged in connection to a June trip he took to Banff in Alberta, Canada.

news.yahoo.com

Note: The headline suggests the man is facing a $569,000 fine. I seriously doubt that he will have to pay anything close to that. He is, however, in more than usual trouble in that he stayed on even after having been caught once.

Second note: I love the picture at the top of the article in that I have a picture taken from almost the identical spot (taken before the travel ban, of course).

 

[CanuckTravlr]

With regard to the Canadians cracking down on Americans violating the ban on lingering in Canada while supposedly just travelling through.

A Kentucky man is facing $569,000 in fines after being accused of violating Canada's COVID-19 rules

John Pennington, 40, of Walton, Kentucky, was arrested and charged in connection to a June trip he took to Banff in Alberta, Canada.

news.yahoo.com

Note: The headline suggests the man is facing a $569,000 fine. I seriously doubt that he will have to pay anything close to that. He is, however, in more than usual trouble in that he stayed on even after having been caught once.

Second note: I love the picture at the top of the article in that I have a picture taken from almost the identical spot (taken before the travel ban, of course).

Yeah, this guy was pretty brazen about disobeying the rules. Caught two days in a row. Most have gotten the message after the first charge. He is either a bit dense or thinks he is a law-unto-himself. The US article did not get the fine or imprisonment information fully correct, but you're right, he won't get anywhere near the maximum. However, he will also likely have trouble ever entering Canada again.

The first fine was a provincial offence under the Alberta Health Act, which is typically what they have been doing. It is sort of a "warning" with a penalty attached to reinforce the point. In this case, after the second offence, he was charged under the emergency provisions of the federal Quarantine Act, which has much larger penalties and is a more serious offence.

Anyone convicted of disobeying an order under the Quarantine Act is liable "to a fine of not more than $750,000 or imprisonment for not more than six months [not years] or both". If it can be shown that he "caused serious bodily harm or imminent death as a result of willfully or recklessly contravening the Act", then the maximum penalties go to $1,000,000 or three years in prison or both.

 

[am1]

Should be punished to the full extent of the law.
Goes back to not letting any non Canadians in if they are suppose to continue on to Alaska. Or put up a large bond to gurantee. No one to blame other then the ones that allowed these people to enter.

 

[CanuckTravlr]

Should be punished to the full extent of the law.
Goes back to not letting any non Canadians in if they are suppose to continue on to Alaska. Or put up a large bond to gurantee. No one to blame other then the ones that allowed these people to enter.

Really??? The ones who allowed him to enter are to blame? There is a legal agreement between Canada and the US to allow transit between the contiguous states and Alaska. CBSA is abiding by that and the controls that are in place seem to be working. He was caught. Twice!! He is a jerk, but is an isolated case and he has been apprehended and is being dealt with by the courts. Sounds to me like the system is working!!

 

[am1]

Really??? The ones who allowed him to enter are to blame? There is a legal agreement between Canada and the US to allow transit between the contiguous states and Alaska. CBSA is abiding by that and the controls that are in place seem to be working. He was caught. Twice!! He is a jerk, but is an isolated case and he has been apprehended and is being dealt with by the courts. Sounds to me like the system is working!!

Not an isolated case and these are different times then normal. What benefit does Canada get from that agreement? What about Niagara Falls to Detroit through Canada as it could be faster.

Yes blame the people that allowed it as the people who are doing it cannot be trusted and that should have been anticipated.