'We're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,' New Brunswickers sense return to normal is close
With Monday quickly approaching, the countdown to New Brunswick's 75 per cent vaccination goal to gradually reopen the province is in its final days. While hopeful the province will make the switch to the first phase of the Path to Green, many New Brunswickers are cautiously optimistic of what Monday may bring.
"Setting targets is good, setting dates is good. Sometimes it may lead to false expectations, however, ultimately, we will get there," said Sackville mayor-elect, Shawn Mesheau.
Mesheau says living in a border town means he's been paying close attention to whether the province will get the green light to begin the reopening plan.
"We have folks who are working in Amherst and surrounding areas ... same as folks that are working in that area of ns, that are working over here ... to be able to get back to some sense of being able to cross that border without restrictions will be so important to us," said Mesheau.
Essential workers, including truck drivers, are also looking forward to the idea of seamless border crossings, once again. With current COVID-19 regulations, truck drivers must follow modified self-isolation guidelines for 14 days upon entering the province. They are asked to stay home at all times, except for when picking up essential necessities of life and medical appointments.
Jean-Marc Picard, the executive director of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association, says the restrictions made the job even more difficult on drivers.
"It was a bit of a struggle for the last few months coming home and isolating so now that we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully, we'll hit that mark," said Picard.
Picard says he is skeptical the province will hit the vaccination target by Monday, but he's also hopeful it won't be long after.
"Most of the drivers leave for work on Monday and come back home at the end of the week. So, as long as it's by Friday, we'll probably be okay with it.
Sports fans will also benefit from a shift to phase one in the Path to Green plan. A loosening of restrictions means the bleachers at Rocky Stone Field in Moncton's Centennial Park may not stay empty for long.
Greater Moncton Football Association President, Dennis Ronan says fans will be a welcome sight.
"Parents like to cheer on their kids and kids like to hear that cheering from the stands. Especially in a game like football, but all sports really, those athletes thrive from the support of the crowd, that's really what we've been missing and we're so looking forward to having that back," said Ronan.
As of Friday, the province was reporting 67.4 per cent of eligible residents aged 12 and older have had their initial vaccine. More than 50,000 New Brunswickers will need to receive their first dose within the next three days for the province to move to phase one of the Path to Green.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
What happens after we die? Most Canadians say an afterlife does exist, survey shows
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.