A group of mayors from Canada’s border communities is calling on the federal government to drop the ArriveCan app and vaccination requirements at the Canada-U.S. land border.
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati said the government’s requirement for visitors to Canada to submit their health information ahead of time through the ArriveCan app no longer makes sense at this stage of post-pandemic recovery.
“Here in Niagara, 40,000 people count on tourism to feed their families. We’ve always said ‘follow the science.’ Well, the scientists are telling us now there’s no reason to have the ArriveCan app,” he said.
All inbound travellers, regardless of their citizenship, are still required to enter their health information, quarantine plan, and vaccination status through the ArriveCan app.
Diodati acknowledged the government’s recent move to ease travel requirements was a step forward but called it a “half-step.”
“We need some full steps and we don’t have time for dithering,” he added.
Diodati said the federal app is discouraging cross-border travel, causing a “man-made disaster” in communities that rely heavily on tourism.
“What’s happening right now [is] Americans are showing up in their minivan with their family at the border with no knowledge of the ArriveCan app. They don’t have roaming, they can’t download the app, there’s a lot of lineup of cars behind them. They can’t get into the country,” he said.
“[If] you upset your customers, they go back and tell all their friends. Many people are bypassing Canada. That’s going to have long-lasting effects on this country. It’s a more than $100 billion industry in this country—we need to do everything we can to open things up.”
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said the federal travel rules are “inconsistent” and “disrespectful” to border cities.
“It’s like a boa constrictor on our communities, just squeezing the economy when we should be going in the other direction,” he said.
“Through the 22 months of the border issues, we stood with the federal government. We met regularly by Zoom with them. And now we’re just on the backburner.”
Former mayor of Bromont, Quebec, Pauline Quinlan, said that the ArriveCan app is “no longer needed” and is causing “real problems” for tourism in her region.
“I believe that the economy in Canada and Quebec and our region will suffer if these requirements are maintained,” she said.
NDP MP Richard Cannings, who has six border entry points in his sprawling southern B.C. riding, said it’s time for the Liberal government to come up with a better plan.
“We’re asking for a real plan that makes sense for Canadians and for travellers so that our border towns … can get back into, and get their businesses going again, in a safe way,” he said, noting the duty-free stores in his riding have been hit particularly hard, with business down 95 percent.
Bradley questioned if the federal government has re-evaluated the data used to justify mandating the app.
“Have they actually looked at the results and what the benefits are? Any person looking at it objectively will say they’re not there anymore,” he said.
“I learned a long time ago—I’ve been in politics a long time: When you’re riding a dead horse, dismount. That’s what the federal government needs to do.”
The federal government has defended its COVID-19 travel policies, saying the restrictions have been successful.
“In no way do we regret having acted cautiously,” Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic Leblanc said at a press conference on June 14 announcing the suspension of the vaccine travel mandate.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said at the same event that the mandates were lifted “after reviewing the latest scientific evidence, evolving COVID-19 epidemiology globally and in Canada, vaccination coverage rates, and listening to the advice of public health officials and experts.”
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