The Canadian border (land and air) will remain closed to non-essential travel for yet another month, extending the current measures through at least April 21, 2021.
Most foreign visitors are still not allowed to enter Canada and a 14-day quarantine requirement is imposed for those that do, including Canadian citizens.
The restrictions on travel between Canada and the United States is now stretching into a full year just like we’ve seen with many other international borders but this one hits especially hard given the close ties between the countries and that for a very long time you were even able to cross between Canada and the U.S. using a drivers license (abandoned after 9/11).
Canadians can travel to the U.S. for both business and leisure but Canada is closed to U.S. citizens except for certain circumstances like driving by car up to Alaska.
There have already been several decisions that severely impacted travel between Canada, Alaska and “the lower 48” especially when it came to cruise travel with British Columbia shutting down all their ports since spring of 2020, essentially killing the Alaska cruise season with huge economic consequences for both B.C. and the Alaska coastal towns. The cruise ban has since been extended to February 28, 2022.
Public Safety Canada has sent out a Tweet about the border closure extension and it has also been updated on the CBSA website.
To help reduce the spread of #COVID19, the current restrictions for all non-essential travel between Canada and the U.S. remain in effect until April 21, 2021. For more information on current entry requirements ➡️ https://t.co/wRZPE8h9O6 pic.twitter.com/AC3hNQ7wtq
— Public Safety Canada (@Safety_Canada) March 18, 2021
You can access the CBSA website here for all recent updated on entry requirements and regulations for Canada.
The current agreement on the U.S.-Canada border closure to non-essential travel was first put in place back in March of 2020 and has been renewed every month since (salami slicing). It’s a full year of monthly extensions now.
Tourists and leisure cross-border visits remain prohibited, although trade and commerce are exempted as are certain family members and loved ones who can make a case on compassionate grounds to be allowed into Canada.
One has to wonder how often this extension will be renewed in the future and if there will be an opening of the country to overseas visitors from countries again that are deemed somewhat “safe” by Canadian authorities, be it with a Covid test, a vaccine certificate or a combination of both.
As referenced above Canada now does have some rather generous exceptions in place that allows a flow of family members and employees to go into Canada. Canadians can also visit the U.S. but have to isolate upon return in an expensive quarantine hotel so the question is if that trip is worth the hassle.
Conclusion
The common sentiment among Canadians is that the border should remain closed due to the escalating situation concerning Covid-19 in the lower 48 yet this constant salami tactic extension on a monthly basis isn’t really a workable solution either. Make it 3 months at a time and be done with it.
As things look like now the vaccination effort is going a lot better and faster in the U.S. than in Canada at the moment. The outlook is that by the summer everyone in the U.S. will have been offered a vaccine. It remains to be seen if this will have any impact on the border up north and I wonder if Canada will have accomplished the same by then.
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you said
“The common sentiment among Canadians is that the border should remain closed…”
I don’t recall a vote/plebiscite being taken. I believe Canada is doing things the same way as the other free countries – by edict.
Incidentally, for most of the history of the two jurisdictions, the border was an invisible line with no controls whatsoever. Our freedoms have been removed and more are on the chopping block.
Absolutely correct, the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms has been totally ignored by all the reigning power hungry political parties who are making conflicting edicts daily with no data, only perceived public opinion.
“As things look like now the vaccination effort is going a lot better and faster in the U.S. than in Canada at the moment.”
I’ll have had my second shot of Pfizer this coming Saturday. Two weeks later is April 10th. Why Canada would barr me after that date defies logic. I have a completed immunization card – I should be allowed to travel uninhibited, especially if still following standard COVID protocols such as masking in public, social distancing, etc.
You asked
“Why Canada would barr me after that date defies logic”
hmmm? You might also ask why the US government will not cover you if you have any adverse reactions or (most likely) your health insurer also won’t cover you.
And, of course, the manufacturers are fully shielded, even for gross negligence and intentional harm.
The answer is the same; you have voluntarily participated in an experiment. We will not know anything close to complete answers until we see what happens to you and the others voluntarily participating in this grand experiment. Read what you signed and read your policy.
As a student of history and medicine I tend to follow proven precedent when it comes to vaccines and control of communicable disease. I’ve also had enough shots in the military to know it’s highly unlikely anything other than some mild immune reaction will result, and that reaction is actually a good thing – meaning the response to the spike protein is working as planned.
However, I suppose the Luddite naysayers will next tell us the earth is flat, the Rothschilds are in charge, and lizard people are eating babies. Pluh-eeze… save that for the conspiracy forums, and let the serious people (aka adults) comment here in a fact-based manner in – what is called – reality.
Instead of the litany of ad hominens and hyperbole, why don’t you expose the errors in my comment? Have you read your health policy? Betcha haven’t!
Anyone getting the jab right now is voluntarily participating in the human trial. Read what you signed.
Floridian… Guess that explains your post. Dan Mitzel.asked a very genuine question that we (normal human beings) are concerned about.
The world is moving on, so why don’t you either focus on your conspiracies where it sells and leave others to deal with the pandemic and overcome it.
Floridian… Guess that explains your post. Dan Mitzel.asked a very genuine question that we (normal human beings) are concerned about.
The world is moving on, so why don’t you either focus on your conspiracies where it sells and leave others to deal with the pandemic and overcome it.
Yup,
And I stayed on subject and answered the question we are concerned about. Without ad hominems nor hyperbole.
I have overcome it. I read the science and I don’t watch TV. You can too.
ps, read your health policy. Few insurers are willing to cover the adverse events from voluntarily participating in a medical trail. The people running the trial are supposed to do that, but, in this unique case, they aren’t.
I am tired of sitting at home.
@danmitzel:disqus Bro, you should put your focus on trying to visit South East Asia or East Asia instead. Why would you go to boring Canada with all these crazy restrictions and little things to do.
“Canadians can also visit the U.S. but have to isolate upon return in an expensive quarantine hotel so the question is if that trip is worth the hassle.”
There have been numerous examples of people NOT going into the so-called quarantine hotels with some being fined and others not, particularly in the cases where the hotels are over-booked.
This is nothing but pandemic theatre orchestrated by Trudeau to make it appear that he’s actually doing something and to distract from his absolutely atrocious record on acquiring vaccines thus putting Canada well down the list of countries’ per capita vaccinations completed .
It’s a joke at best but unfortunately there are far too many people too easily led by the nose that think that Trudeau is actually accomplishing something.
Very well said, couldn’t agree more with the summary of young Trudeau, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…as well as our sheep-like population who only listen to the politically controlled mainstream media
That said, if you don’t want the hassle of having to either accept paying for a detention camp hotel or refusing and having to fight a ridiculous fine, fly to a border airport and drive or walk across the border. The forced detention hotel is only a requirement if you fly into Canada. Not only are airfares usually much less to get there (certainly if you don’t live near the only four international airports now), you’ll only end up having to quarantine for the same period as anyone else. The only issue is getting to the border as most folks can have someone pick them up once across. There’s always a way – we’ve done it twice with no problems.
You said
” the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”
Indeed. Mick Jagger was not a trustworthy guy!
Or Fidel Castro if you want to believe THAT angle…
Trudeau and his Liberal Party socialists have destroyed Canada in 5 years .Every story you read from here mentions the USA -Canada border but never a word about the 41 Flights a day coming with Refugees from COVID and Terrorist hotspots like Iran, Qatar ,Somalia ,Turkey, Venezuela,China ,Iraq and 31 other countries.