Cross-border families ask for compassion with costly COVID-19 testing
Sarnia’s mayor is calling on the federal government to remove costly COVID-19 testing as a requirement for Canadians returning to Canada from the United States.
“They don’t understand border cities,” said Mike Bradley of a decision by the government to require testing at a cost he estimates to be more than $200 for each re-entry into Canada.
He said cross-border families will hurt the most.
“It is a huge burden on people who have done all the right things. They’ve gotten double vaccinated. They were looking forward to travelling. They’ve take all the precautions necessary. And to have those extra costs put on them…”
Sarnia-area resident Bob Vansickle said he and his wife Ann haven’t seen his wife’s parents since February 2020.
In that time, new relationships have been formed with children born into the family, loved ones have died and his elderly in-laws have been in failing health. The cruel irony is that they live just across the St. Clair River in Port Huron, MI.
Bob Vansickle speaks via Zoom from his home near Sarnia, Ont. on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021.
“Since that time my brother-in-law has passed away unexpectedly. We haven’t been able to grieve his death. My father-in-law has dementia and his disease has really progressed since that time. My mother-in-law has developed congestive heart failure, and we’re just not there to be able to support them.”
The U.S. has announced it will open the border to vaccinated Canadians Nov. 8. Vansickle said his joy over the decision was short-lived.
“It’s something that’s going to cause us a real problem because if we’re looking at $200 to $400 each time we get tested, it’s just too prohibitive to be able to travel to the U.S. every day.”
Ann Vansickle with her parents, who live in Port Huron, MI, and who she hasn't seen since February 2020, are seen in this undated family photo.
Bradley, meantime, is hoping city council will endorse a letter he’s written to the federal government asking for a change of heart.
“We’re making progress with the border opening both ways for double-vaccinated people. Now they’re finding themselves in this bureaucratic maze, which is very very costly to exit from.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW From yearning for a change to cost of living, why some Canadians have left or may leave the country
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Minister said 'hundreds' of Canadians might use Gaza visa. More than 7,500 applied.
An immigration lawyer in Toronto says new figures from the federal government show just how 'grudging' Ottawa's efforts have been to rescue Canadians' family members from the war in the Gaza Strip.
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.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
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.
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.
Florida deputies who fatally shot U.S. airman burst into wrong apartment, attorney says
Deputies responding to a disturbance call at a Florida apartment complex burst into the wrong unit and fatally shot a Black U.S. Air Force airman who was home alone when they saw he was armed with a gun, an attorney for the man's family said Wednesday.
'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.