Vaccine mandate now in effect for cross-border truckers re-entering Canada
A vaccine mandate is now in effect for cross-border truckers coming into Canada. Canadian truckers who are not fully vaccinated will have to show proof of a negative PCR test collected within 72 hours of arriving at the border and will need to quarantine after arrival, while unvaccinated American drivers will be denied entry.
Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada CEO Shelley Walker said her organization would have liked to see a time extension before implementation.
“I know there’s probably a lot of people out there that said COVID’s been going on a long time, our industry knew about this since November,” she said. “But there was always the hope that it would go away.”
Walker said she’s heard from some drivers who returned from the U.S. before the policy took effect at midnight.
“A few of them put in a 16-hour driving day, but they were not getting stranded down in the U.S.,” she said. “There is a shortage of PCR tests, and where do you go in a vehicle that’s 70 to 75 feet long?”
While Canadian drivers will not be denied entry, those who do not follow the policy could face enforcement action or fines. Walker said truckers are planning a convoy to Ottawa in protest.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance has said between 10 to 15 per cent of cross border drivers could be lost, during an already ongoing labour shortage for the industry.
UBC Sauder School of Business professor Mahesh Nagarajan said there will likely be shipping delays as a result of the new mandate, but it’s hard to predict the extent.
“You are now looking at an already scarce pool of drivers. Now that pool has gotten a bit shorter. So what you would have to do is you have to re-optimize your trucking, where you would take the vaccinated drivers and hopefully get them across the border,” he said. “It’s a business trade-off, because the disruption that a Covid outbreak can cause in a company is much higher than the fact that some of them will not be vaccinated.”
A vaccine mandate is also expected on the U.S. side in the coming days.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
BREAKING Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Six Canadian children repatriated from detention in Syria, Global Affairs Canada says
The Global Affairs Department says six Canadian children have been repatriated from detention in northeastern Syria.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
TikTok, ByteDance sue to block U.S. law seeking sale or ban of app
TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance said on Tuesday they filed suit in U.S. federal court seeking to block a law signed by President Joe Biden that would force the divestiture of the short video app used by 170 million Americans or ban its use.