Highway stalemate: Cars line up as N.S. tightens its border to N.B. residents
Gridlock on the Trans-Canada Highway at the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick border has been a familiar sight over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Wednesday was no different.
Traffic began to slow just after 8:00 a.m. when Nova Scotia’s latest restrictions came into play for New Brunswickers.
Anyone travelling into Nova Scotia from the bordering province must now follow the same requirements as those coming from outside Atlantic Canada.
They must fill in the Nova Scotia safe check-in form online and upload proof of their vaccination. Nova Scotians returning home from New Brunswick must do the same, and follow any self-isolation requirements depending on their vaccination status.
Daryl Fawcett and his wife stood on the overpass overlooking the border checkpoint early Wednesday taking photos of the congestion.
"We were kind of curious to see if there’d be a lineup or any vehicles," said Fawcett.
The Amherst, N.S. resident says he’s concerned about local tourists not wanting to enter either province due to the new travel requirements.
"I would be one of those impacted because I don’t plan on going because I’m not fully vaccinated."
Bill Dowe, president of the Amherst and Area Chamber of Commerce, has similar concerns, though the trucking company owner says he fully supports the vaccination requirements.
"If there are some people that are still in the process, in the transition period between the first and second shot, they’re not going to want to go to Moncton or across the border and then come home and have to isolate for a week," says Dowe.
Those who did choose to travel Wednesday say the online approval process was simple.
"It just took me less than five minutes for both of us, and then we received the ok that we’ve done what we need to do, so I was confident, it was fine,” says Ontario resident, Diane Thomson, who was travelling with her husband.
Anotha Hitler and her family of fourteen were on their way to Cape Breton Wednesday afternoon. The Toronto native says she filled out all of her necessary information before leaving Ontario.
“Actually, I think we felt more comfortable doing that so we know we’re protected and everyone here is safe," says Hitler.
Despite a seemingly long lineup at the border crossing throughout the day, Thomson and her husband say it didn’t take long for them to get through.
"Once we figured out which lane we had to be in, being non-Atlantic, it was fine. It was about a 10-minute wait, but we had all our documents ready and we just said thank you and we went on."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.