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
Lack of detention space could force CBSA to release detainees, internal memo warns
The Canada Border Security Agency is scrambling to find space to hold high-risk detainees that are set to be transferred from provincial jails in June.
BREAKING American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
BREAKING Allman Brothers Band co-founder and legendary guitarist Dickey Betts dies at 80
Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, 'Ramblin' Man,' has died. He was 80.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
Police make arrests in grandparent scam that defrauded victims out of $739K
Ontario Provincial Police say they have 'disrupted' an organized crime group that allegedly used an emergency grandparent scam to defraud seniors across Canada out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
What does it mean to be 'house poor' and how can you avoid it?
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Calgary man charged with manslaughter in death of toddler
Calgary police say Winston Campbell, 45, has been charged in the death of a two-year-old girl in 2022.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.