Ok Thanks that clarifies things. Some people use the term rapid as the antigen PCR test because results really quick and you were using the term rapid because you paid extra to get a faster result of the valid PCR test for Canada.
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Flying home from the DR to Canada and using the land border option first hand experience
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That's the problem. I could have flown to Montana and got a cab to the boarder then arranged for a ride home. If I did that we would have been on at least one US domestic flight where no one was tested and all we would have to do is the 14 day quarantine at home.
The way we did it we only had 2 flights and every person on both flights had to prove they had a negative test within 72 hours. I'm not even sure why we had to wear masks on either plane as everyone tested negative but that's a whole other topic. We are going to isolate ourselves for the 14 days as I know we will be visited by some low level security guard. I will talk to them through a window but there is no way I will open the door for them.
We have to go to the local drug store for a test on day 8. It makes no sense why we can leave for that but not for food after having 3 negative tests in 10 days.
The Canadian government took another step towards lifting the travel restrictions for international travel. The ArriveCAN app will be updated to include Covid Inoculation information for presentation in Canadian and foreign airports. The App will allow you to take a picture of your health department issued paper documentation and enter it on your personal documents section along with your passport.
Paper proof will not be acceptable for Canadian travellers after that. Here’s the sticking point. Those with US and Health Canada approved mRNA shots are good to go. Those with AstraZeneca are not approved in some countries. Those with a AstraZeneca first shot and an mRNA second shot are in political limbo waiting approval. Those with Sinovac and other foreign non approved vaccines still have to wait until Health Canada approves them, if ever.
The ArriveCAN app is being modified now to accommodate a potential lifting of restrictions during the first week of July.
Kermit the frog said it isn’t easy being green. He should have said it isn’t easy being Canadian.
Paper proof will not be acceptable for Canadian travellers after that. Here’s the sticking point. Those with US and Health Canada approved mRNA shots are good to go. Those with AstraZeneca are not approved in some countries. Those with a AstraZeneca first shot and an mRNA second shot are in political limbo waiting approval. Those with Sinovac and other foreign non approved vaccines still have to wait until Health Canada approves them, if ever.
The ArriveCAN app is being modified now to accommodate a potential lifting of restrictions during the first week of July.
Kermit the frog said it isn’t easy being green. He should have said it isn’t easy being Canadian.
Those rules will have to change. Do they expect every traveller to Canada to be inoculated with only a few approved vaccines. Seems biased. Maybe a few kickbacks from the big drug makers. "buy our vaccines or don't come to Canada" Canada is a WHO member and they approved the china vaccines so it should be acceptable to visit Canada. just my opinion.
This is likely bad news for people who assume they will beat their charges.
Canada’s federal court rules mandatory quarantine hotels are ‘constitutional’
OTTAWA, Ontario, June 18, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — Canada’s federal court has ruled that quarantine hotels imposed by the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau since January — and for which travelers must pay — are constitutional.
Chief Justice of the Federal Court Paul Crampton issued the ruling today in response to four separate legal challenges with 14 applicants against the mandatory quarantine hotels.
“The impugned measures were within the authority of the AIC [Governor in Council, in this context know as the Administrator in Council] and were within the jurisdiction of the federal government. Finally, the impugned measures do not contravene section 1(a) of the Bill of Rights. Accordingly, these Applications will be dismissed,” concluded Crampton.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) was part of the lawsuit against the federal government and represented 10 clients.
The JCCF said it is “disappointed with the Federal Court ruling” and that the decision “will be reviewed thoroughly with a view to appeal.”
The JCCF had argued that “mandatory quarantine of law-abiding Canadian citizens in federally mandated facilities violated their rights to enter and leave Canada freely pursuant to their rights under S. 6(1) of the Charter.”
The government recently increased the fines for those who do not comply with the quarantine rules from $3,000 to $5,000.
Canada’s federal court rules mandatory quarantine hotels are ‘constitutional’
OTTAWA, Ontario, June 18, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — Canada’s federal court has ruled that quarantine hotels imposed by the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau since January — and for which travelers must pay — are constitutional.
Chief Justice of the Federal Court Paul Crampton issued the ruling today in response to four separate legal challenges with 14 applicants against the mandatory quarantine hotels.
“The impugned measures were within the authority of the AIC [Governor in Council, in this context know as the Administrator in Council] and were within the jurisdiction of the federal government. Finally, the impugned measures do not contravene section 1(a) of the Bill of Rights. Accordingly, these Applications will be dismissed,” concluded Crampton.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) was part of the lawsuit against the federal government and represented 10 clients.
The JCCF said it is “disappointed with the Federal Court ruling” and that the decision “will be reviewed thoroughly with a view to appeal.”
The JCCF had argued that “mandatory quarantine of law-abiding Canadian citizens in federally mandated facilities violated their rights to enter and leave Canada freely pursuant to their rights under S. 6(1) of the Charter.”
The government recently increased the fines for those who do not comply with the quarantine rules from $3,000 to $5,000.
Many Canadians will be upset with this ruling and will show their opposition when they vote in the upcoming federal election. It’s nice to know you can still beat the system and avoid the arbitrary Covid concentration centres by using land border crossings or entering through Calgary and Montreal airports.
The government is yielding to pressure from all sides to relax the restrictions for those with both Covid shots. We will see those changes take effect soon.
On the negative side they just extended the Canada-US border closure for another month. Further economic loss for Canadian tourism towns like Niagara Falls that rely heavily on US tourists.
A Toronto woman plans to put up a fight after she was slapped with a $6,250 fine when crossing the U.S. border with a negative COVID-19 test in hand.
The woman, who has asked not to be named for this article, tells blogTO she was crossing the U.S. border with a friend at the Rainbow Bridge crossing from Niagara Falls around midnight on June 9.
She had been away in Mexico for about four months to escape pandemic restrictions in Canada, and decided to fly back to the U.S. to avoid the cost of staying in a Toronto quarantine hotel.
"Who is paying $2,000 to come back into their own country — that is my argument."
She and her friend flew from Puerto Vallarta to Dallas, had a three-hour layover, then flew to Buffalo. They then took an Uber to the Rainbow Bridge where they walked across.
Ironically, she ended up with a higher fine trying to avoid the $2,000 or more cost of quarantining by the airport.
However, she argues the ticket is not legal because she had a negative COVID-19 test, issued within 50 hours of arriving at the border.
But her test was from Mexico. A Canadian border services officer told her that it wasn't in compliance with pandemic travel regulations, and that she could either go back to the U.S. and get a COVID-19 test there or pay a fine.
The woman says the COVID-19 travel restrictions on the Government of Canada website were confusing and that she thought a Mexican test would be sufficient.
"We figured that because we were going to the U.S. for literally a few hours that the Mexican COVID test would have been enough."
The Public Health Agency of Canada did not immediately respond for comment, but the rules posted online for those driving from the U.S. specify that you must "take a test before you leave the United States within 72 hours of your entry into Canada (your test must be performed in the United States)."
The woman, who has asked not to be named for this article, tells blogTO she was crossing the U.S. border with a friend at the Rainbow Bridge crossing from Niagara Falls around midnight on June 9.
She had been away in Mexico for about four months to escape pandemic restrictions in Canada, and decided to fly back to the U.S. to avoid the cost of staying in a Toronto quarantine hotel.
"Who is paying $2,000 to come back into their own country — that is my argument."
She and her friend flew from Puerto Vallarta to Dallas, had a three-hour layover, then flew to Buffalo. They then took an Uber to the Rainbow Bridge where they walked across.
Ironically, she ended up with a higher fine trying to avoid the $2,000 or more cost of quarantining by the airport.
However, she argues the ticket is not legal because she had a negative COVID-19 test, issued within 50 hours of arriving at the border.
But her test was from Mexico. A Canadian border services officer told her that it wasn't in compliance with pandemic travel regulations, and that she could either go back to the U.S. and get a COVID-19 test there or pay a fine.
The woman says the COVID-19 travel restrictions on the Government of Canada website were confusing and that she thought a Mexican test would be sufficient.
"We figured that because we were going to the U.S. for literally a few hours that the Mexican COVID test would have been enough."
The Public Health Agency of Canada did not immediately respond for comment, but the rules posted online for those driving from the U.S. specify that you must "take a test before you leave the United States within 72 hours of your entry into Canada (your test must be performed in the United States)."
As much as I sympathize with her plight, she won’t have any success in court. The rules specifically require a negative Canadian approved PCR test not the quick test. With that in hand she could have walked to the Canadian side, taken a free quick test and been cleared to enter Canada. She also had the option of staying in a US hotel and getting the PCR test before crossing into Canada. That’s what I would have done. Much cheaper than the fine she has to pay or a stay in a Covid hotel.
An Antigen test and a PCR test are two different things. Some people still try and use them like they are the same, they are not. Canada was requiring a PCR test and for the US an Antigen test is good enough.
As for those that think Canada must change they should realize governments do stupid things all of the time. Getting rid of the current leadership in an election might change things in Canada for the better. Time will tell, meanwhile those rules for entering Canada are likely not to change much. Remember we have the new CV19 Scariants to deal with. Good luck to people trying to sue the Canadian government, eh?
In about four hours, the government is announcing changes to the travel restrictions, specifically the Covid hotel requirement. They are eliminating it for returning Canadian travellers with approved negative PCR tests who have both shots of a vaccine on the approved list. No word on Sinovac approval yet. I expect pushback from those with two non approved shots and those with one shot. No change in extended US-Canada land border closure extension. I’m still
expecting Canada-DR flights to resume earlier because of the relaxed Covid hotel requirement. I can get to POP the first week of September on Westjet direct. $750 return.
Aha, a default Covid Passport, I see.
Best of luck on those pushbacks for non-approved vaccines. Snowballs chance in hell on that.
Thinking about this further: We have someone staying with us who came from Canada:
- He wont be vaccinated. (even if he did it is Sinovac). No vaccine for him
- He won't accept the Covid hotel ordeal
- He won't fly through the US and use the land border crossing method
So, when do you think he might be able to enter Canada? After the next elections perhaps?
A lot of Canadians are still refusing to get a shot let alone two. This is the governments way of saying get off your ass and get your shots. Two provinces have a million dollar lottery as an incentive to get people to the inoculation centres.
There will be a fall election. The Liberals are expected to squeak through with a small majority. The Delta variant is expected to be the variant to create a fourth wave in Canada this summer. The new government will base their travel restrictions on how big the impact is on the Canadian public. Despite that Alberta is wide open on July 01st. No masks, no distancing and the Calgary Stampede which draws massive crowds is going ahead. The Premier is giving the finger to the Feds. He did make a good point. Either you believe in the efficacy of the vaccines or you don’t. A covert way of saying to the Feds defecate or get off the toilet. Your Canadian friend may be able to return early September prior to the election.
It looks like her problem was the location of the test.
The article says nothing about the type of test.
Could be. They reference her confusion with the type of test required. Canadians returning through the US with the approved PCR test enter the US with it and are usually cleared on the Canadian land border side if they comply with the 72 hour time limit. The requirement for another PCR test in the States before entering Canada is something new, if it is true.
Another example of the two tiered society that is coming for those vaccinated or not. Each country playing its own games on that.
If there is an election, I will purposefully go back to Canada so I can vote and ensure my vote is counted.
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