ArriveCan removal prompts relief, indifference on N.B. and Maine border
Saturday’s removal of the ArriveCan mandate is prompting a range of reactions, from relief to indifference, at one of New Brunswick and Maine’s busiest border crossings.
People arriving at the Canadian border are no longer required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations, via the ArriveCan app, or be subject to random mandatory COVID-19 tests.
As well, unvaccinated travellers will no longer be required to isolate once entering Canada.
“I’m so happy,” says Wayne Ganong. “I’m on cloud nine because I don’t have any more obstacles to get over, or hurdles.”
Ganong says he only made one trip from St. Stephen, N.B. to Calais, Maine with the ArriveCan requirement in effect. He says he never made another attempt because of trouble returning to Canada.
“I have a flip phone which is ancient and I couldn't answer all the questions and so forth,” says Ganong. “I had a bad experience, and so did 14 other seniors who came in the same day I did. Because what they were told, and what they had to have, wasn't what they thought.”
When the ArriveCan requirements took effect Nov. 30, 2021 at Canadian border crossings, several residents – particularly seniors – found they hadn’t filled the forms out correctly.
Staff at the public library in Calais, Maine, were overwhelmed in their attempts to help stranded travellers. The ArriveCan app also impacted events from proceeding between both communities.
St. Stephen resident Paulette Parker was reluctant to fill out an ArriveCan form, but now says she’s eager to cross the border.
“I have relatives in Bangor,” says Parker. “I have sisters there and I have a nephew.”
Some in the St. Stephen area already made a pledge months ago to stay on the Canadian side of the border, regardless of any ArriveCan changes.
“For whatever reasons, I choose to stay in Canada,” says St. Stephen resident Levonne Hastey. “Everything I want is here.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.