Feds eyeing Canada-U.S. land border reopening
As the province prepares to reopen, the Canada-U.S. border is still closed.
But after consultations with border city mayors, including the mayor of Sault Ste. Marie, Ottawa is looking at mid-June for a re-opening of land crossings.
Mayor Christian Provenzano said he was approached in May by Federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair to convene a meeting of border city mayors to discuss the eventual reopening of the border. He said vaccination rates will be a key factor.
"It will be done in a staged approach and it will be tied, essentially, to vaccination rates," Provenzano said. "So, we don’t really have any more detail than that. The main point that was made to the minister and the government was that we all thought it was really important that the government have a clear, transparent plan and that they make that plan public."
Provenzano said he believes a border re-opening plan is imminent. He said while many people in the Sault are anxious to visit their American neighbours, public health and safety must come first.
On Wednesday, the feds announced plans to remove the quarantine hotel requirement for fully vaccinated Canadian travellers returning to the country. It is expected to come into effect in early July.
The U.S.-Canada border has been closed for non-essential travel since March 2020. The current closure expires on June 21.
ALGOMA'S COVID-19 SITUATION
As of June 9 at 3 p.m., the Algoma District had six active COVID-19 infections among residents along with one non-resident currently in the region. Since the pandemic began, there have been a total of 396 COVID-19 cases in Algoma and six COVID-related deaths. To date, 60.2 per cent of Algoma residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 11.2 per cent of the eligible population ages 12 and older are fully vaccinated with two doses.
As of June 10, the percentage of Canadians who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine is just under 63 per cent, out of 72 per cent of the population currently eligible. Just over nine per cent of Canada's total population has been fully vaccinated.
Canada currently has the twelfth highest number of first doses of the COVID-19 in the world.
COVID-19 VACCINATION RATES IN THE U.S.
In the U.S., 63.9 per cent of adults have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at the time of publication and 51.8 per cent of the total population. Meanwhile, 42.5 per cent of the total U.S. population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Spanish prosecutors recommend 2nd investigation into Shakira's taxes be thrown out
Spanish state prosecutors recommended Wednesday that an investigating judge shelve a probe into another alleged case of tax fraud by pop star Shakira.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.