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Great News! Border is Opening!

July 20, 2021

Well, the day we all have been waiting for is upon us! AUGUST 9 2021 Canada will be opening the borders to fully vaccinated non-essential American Travelers.  As of Aug. 9, American travelers who are fully vaccinated will be able to come to Canada for discretionary travel without needing to quarantine upon arrival.

The government also announced that international arrivals will be allowed at five more Canadian airports. Until now, international arrivals have been restricted to the major airports in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary. Going forward, those arrivals can land at the airports in Halifax, Quebec City, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton as well.

Unvaccinated children (12 years and younger) of fully vaccinated adult travelers will also be exempt from doing a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. Federal officials said on Monday that these children should avoid congregate settings but that there will not be formal rules or guidance issued on what that includes.

There are no exemptions to pre-entry testing for fully vaccinated travelers. Everyone in the group including any children traveling under 12 or any vaccinated over 12 will also need to submit proof.  You must take a test in the United States within 72 hours of your planned entry into Canada and it CAN NOT be over the 72 hours when crossing the border.

These tests are considered acceptable molecular tests:

  • PCR – Polymerase chain reaction
  • RT-PCR – reverse transcription real time PCR
  • Quantitative PCR (qPCR)
  • Nucleic acid test (NAT) or Nucleic acid amplification test (NAATs)
  • Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)
  • Isothermal amplification
  • Droplet digital PCR or digital droplet PCR (ddPCR)
  • Transcription-mediated amplification (TMA)
  • RNA (Ribonucleic acid)
  • Ct (cycle threshold)
  • CRISPR
  • Sequencing
  • Next generational sequencing (NGS) or whole genome sequencing (WGS)
  • Oxford Nanopore sequencing (LamPORE)
  • Detection of the N gene
  • Detection of Orf1a/b
  • Detection of the S gene
  • Detection of the E gene
  • Detection of the RdRp gene

These tests use methods such as a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab, nose swab, or saliva sample.

Everyone in the group will also need to submit proof that they are fully vaccinated and have received their second dose 14 days (2 weeks) prior to entering Canada.

Approved vaccines

Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson

American travelers and those other countries will have to submit their proof of vaccination through the ArriveCan app — Click here to download or web portal Click here to download.  You’ll need to submit your information within 72 hours before your arrival in Canada in fact the app will only let you put the info in 3 days ahead of time.

In addition to receiving a full series of a vaccine authorized by the Government of Canada, fully vaccinated travellers must also: be asymptomatic upon arrival, and have a paper or digital copy of their vaccination documentation in English or French (or certified translation) ready to show a government official on request as evidence.
Please note when you enter Canada provinces and territories may have their own entry restrictions in place for Covid. Check and follow both the federal and any provincial or territorial restrictions and requirements before traveling.  Currently, you will need to wear a mask in all public places; for example, a grocery store, entering a restaurant (can take off your mask once you are seated), Airplane stay 6 feet apart in public areas.
We are so excited to see you all on the water. Please feel free to give us a call 807-484-2345 if you have any questions.
We understand this process will be confusing and somewhat frustrating but we are so looking forward to welcoming you back up north!  I am sure as the date of August 9th gets closer we will have more information to provide you and your group.  We can not wait to have you escape to the wilderness again!
Dave, Michelle, and Jon

 

 

 

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