THUNDER BAY – Canada eased COVID-19 restrictions at the border on Monday with fully vaccinated travellers no longer needing a pre-arrival PCR test result to enter the country.
A move which Brian Sherburne, Enterprise Administrator, Grand Portage Lodge and Casino, says is a step in the right direction, though he would like to see the restrictions match up more with the measures on the American side.
“I would hope that the requirements for crossing the border would be the same across both countries. The U.S. currently asks to show proof of vaccination and going into Canada, you have to have the ArriveCan app and up until yesterday, you had to have a negative PCR test within 72 hours,” said Sherburne.
“And as of yesterday, you have to have a negative rapid antigen test also administered by a facility, not by a home test, within 24 hours. But I would like to see those restrictions go away or be similar.”
To enter Canada with an antigen test, travellers must have them performed by a laboratory, health care entity or tele-health service and at-home tests cannot be used to enter the country.
Grand Portage Lodge and Casino does currently have the capability of providing up to 15 tests per day in a clinic that’s located in a separate building from the casino.
Their tests are available on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and that casino has been working on getting a testing company to set up on-site to increase the number of tests they are capable of performing.
Sherburne does hope that travelling between Canada and the U.S. will become more accessible as many communities on both sides of the border rely on cross-border tourism to thrive.
“Well, you know, the sooner the better for the summer traffic. We get quite a few people that are on their way to Canada to go fishing and go to their camps and that cross-border traffic going both directions is important not only to our business, but to your businesses as well,” said Sherburne.
“And I would hate to see another summer go by where people would have a difficult time crossing the border.”
