Border communities waiting for the green light
The drive from downtown Edmundston in New Brunswick's northwestern region, to the town of Madawaska in Maine, might only be a matter of a few minutes – but for those separated by the border – it might as well be another world away.
"Having the bridge closed for the past 16 months has taken its toll for the people around here," says Edmundston mayor Eric Marquis.
"We know there's a lot of people from Edmundston and Madawska who have family from one side to the other."
It's a similar story for other New Brunswick border communities, which are anxiously awaiting word on when the Canada-U.S. border will fully reopen to non-essential travel, now that the federal government has started easing restrictions.
All U.S.-Canada land border crossings have been closed to non-essential travel since last March, and the federal government announced last week that it will stay that way until next month at the earliest.
"We were hoping we would see some type of opening from the federal government before the next date that is July 21," says Marquis.
"Like we've seen this past week with the opening of the Quebec border with New Brunswick."
McAdam mayor Ken Stannix has mixed feelings about the extension of the border shutdown.
"To me, it's important that we get the border opened up again," says Stannix.
"But, on the other hand, I'm a pretty cautious guy, and I would like to see a larger percentage of the population have the dual inoculation."
As of Monday, June 21, 19.2 percent of New Brunswick's eligible population, or, more than 132,000 people, have received a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, 45.1 per cent of the U.S. population is currently fully vaccinated.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.