Reconsider your government’s policy that requires fully vaccinated travelling Canadians to provide proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of returning to Canada.
Review the official printed letter here:
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,
I am writing to ask you to reconsider your government’s policy that fully vaccinated travelling Canadians must take a pre-entry molecular test within 72 hours of returning to Canada for trips of all lengths and not just those under 72 hours.
This requirement is imposing unnecessary hardships on Canadians that drive to and from their U.S. travel destinations. They have 72 hours to take the test and drive back to Canada. This is almost impossible to achieve when you consider that they must first wait approximately 24 hours (sometimes longer) to get their test results, as rapid tests are not accepted, and in the remaining hours be expected to drive to a Canadian land border crossing. This is especially difficult for Canadians returning from southern U.S. states who have to drive thousands of kilometers just to reach a Canadian land border crossing.
If they are delayed by traffic, bad weather, or fatigue, they may not reach the Canadian land border crossing within that 72-hour period. If this happens they will have to take another test and wait another 24 hours (sometimes longer) for the result before being allowed to enter Canada.
The pre-entry molecular test is also a significant expense for most travelling Canadians as it ranges in cost from $100 to $250 USD per person. There is also the hassle of finding a test location that has available PCR tests, one that is taking walk-ins (not just appointment-only), and one that hopefully does not have a long wait. If they do not reach the Canadian border crossing within that 72-hour period, they will then incur the cost of an additional test and most likely a hotel bill when they spend the night waiting to receive their test results. These costs are not covered by any travel insurance policy or Provincial Government Health Insurance Plan, so Canadians must now factor this in when budgeting their trips.
I hope you will take action now and remove this requirement. Travelling Canadians should be allowed to enter Canada by showing proof of their double vaccination and answering some standard Public Health questions at the border crossing.
Sincerely,
Daniel Donnelly
President
Travel Insurance Office Inc. (TIO)
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