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
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archeological site in southwest France.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s sons have released a single together
A new Lennon and McCartney collaboration is the last thing anybody expected.