If you’ve been following this space for a while, then you know I married a Canadian in 2012 (here are our wedding photos). Prior to the pandemic, we traveled to Toronto at least four times a year to see family and friends. The border has now been closed for 18 months and we kept thinking we would go the day they finally opened it up to Americans, without requiring quarantine.
That day is coming in just over a week, on August 9 (here’s what you need to know), but sadly we’re not going. Here’s why:
1. The Delta variant
Without a doubt, the Delta variant has put a kibosh on our summer plans. Once the pandemic started, we waited over a year to travel as a family by air and our first flight (LAX-JFK) was in early June to see family in Connecticut. Here’s my trip report. We had a fantastic trip and we were so relieved that our daughter did so well on her first ever plane ride that we started booking more flights. But unfortunately, the Delta variant started spreading like wildfire so we canceled our plans. One of our many trips was supposed to be to Toronto but it’s not going to happen since we have two little unvaccinated kids.
2. Canadian airports will be a zoo
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and other major Canadian airports are going to be packed on August 9 and for the first couple weeks afterwards, with family, friends and colleagues ready to reconnect after so many months apart. I recently wrote that if you thought the LHR airport arrivals scene in the hit movie Love Actually was emotional, wait until the day the US/Canadian border opens. However, YYZ and others are going to be a zoo. There are already reports saying that passengers complain of overcrowding and utter chaos at Toronto’s Pearson airport. YYZ is getting progressively busier, much to the dismay of those eager to get away from Toronto for the first time in many months.
3. Canadian Customs and Border Services set to strike
If YYZ wasn’t bad enough on a normal day, it could be much worse, starting on August 6. That’s because, according to Travel Industry Today, “more than 8,500 unionized staff with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) have given their union an overwhelming strike mandate, throwing into question the federal government’s plans for a smooth reopening of the Canada-US border this summer as a federal election looms. CBSA employees could potentially begin strike action.” If this strike happens, watch out and it’s all Canadian airports not just YYZ.
4. Toronto Pearson Airport scraps decision to separate arrivals by vaccination status
No one wants to be jam-packed in slow immigration lines at any time but especially not during a pandemic. Toronto Pearson announced last week that they had started to separate vaccinated and partially/non vaccinated travelers in customs lines, which was a great idea. But unfortunately, they scrapped the idea and a statement from the airport read: “As such, the practice will be ceased as of July 26, 2021, with entry requirements based on vaccination status being enforced once a passenger reaches CSBA.” (via CTV News)
5. It’s going to be expensive
Just like the USA, Canada is requiring all travelers entering Canada to produce a negative COVID-19 test from the last 72 hours. It’s similar to the United States’ plan, except Canada’s requires a PCR test, which costs a lot more than an antigen test. It could cost well over $100 per person to get tested and then you have to worry about the test coming back positive. You can’t leave right away so you will need to let the virus run its course while in a foreign country. Not fun.
Listen, no one wants to go to Canada more than my wife but she says she’s not putting our kids at risk. I want to go too, and especially after watching some clips from last night’s Blue Jays vs Kansas City Royals game. The game made me want to go even more. It was the first game they’d played in Toronto in 670 days!
How about you? Are you going to Canada soon?
Regardless of how expensive, I havent seen my binational fiance in that 18 months of border closures. Family is essential
Hi Vee
I haven’t seen my husband in 1 yr and 8 months and 2 days .. I am Canadian waiting for an interview for my Green Card who knows if I will ever be with him..I know how u feel.
Plan B : go to Florida with record 21000 new infected people in a single day .
The best scenic and most luxurious train you can take is the Rocky Mountaineer from Banff (1-1/2 hrs from Calgary) to Vancouver. But it is expensive.
If more people could process Pandemic information like the Author’s family do, it would have already been brought under control by now.
Most of the train traffic is suspended right now because of the extreme forest fires in BC, with trains running from Kamloops to Edmonton currently. One of the rail lines is being held as the cause of the fire that flattened Lytton, BC a couple weeks ago.
Train travel isn’t a good recommendation right now.
I wouldn’t ride the train. They don’t require vaccination. And I’m not sure how welcome Americans are. If a Republican, don’t admit it! I’m Canadian and I won’t ever go back to the states.
VIA rail doesn’t serve Calgary. You need to go through Edmonton.
Hi, let my type a whole lot of useless words on a webpage, along with tons of advertising that I really want you to click on.
Welcome to the 21st century, where the internet is chalk full of garbage.
You just typed a lot of useless garbage. I guess that proves your point.
Chalk full of garbage.
That is a different kind of board altogether! lol!
You meant chock.
Good don’t come. Keep your covid to yourself.
Either you are ignorant that Canada has less Covid than the states & more people vaccinated than the states or you are just bring sarcastic.
The delta covid-19 is worse in the US then Canada u don’t know what u r talking about its safety is better here to travel then ?? get your facts right
I will not go the the state for any money in the world, not enough peoples are vaccinated ,just look at the covid in Florida INSANE..
This guy’s a wing nut. Keep him out of Canada we have enough idiots.
SO…. You aren’t going to go to Canada where vaccinated rates are higher, only vaccinated Americans are allowed to enter, only vaccinated Canadians skip quarantine… (So the seperate line thing would not work for you because vaccinated line would be easy longer) to travel around the US with low vaccination rates, no masks and no vaccination requirements for visitors? (Ps – we require the PCR test because it’s more accurate… And you take it in the States so you aren’t stuck in a foreign country (which is your wife’s home country so…. not foreign to her)). But whatever, eh?
You tell’em eh Mary.
Alberta is lifting all of its isolation requirements, even if you test positive you are not going to be mandated to isolate anymore. So if you want to be safe, don’t come here lol
Interesting pint on Airports being crowded. But the reality is that the airport border has been open for quite a while for anyone from the U.S who wishes to fly in. The biggest change with the upcoming opening of the border is for the land border between US/Can which was closed for non-essential travel. While you might see an increase in airport activity it won’t be too dramatic.
Honestly, many Canadians don’t want you to come here with the spikes in cases in the US. By the time you are allowed, more than likely Canada will cancel your ability to cross into our country anyway. You can keep your mess down there.
You do realize America is the only reason Canada even has vaccines right?
You do realize dr fow chee is the only reason we have covid 19 right. ! Just kiddin. But, perspectives are widely varied !
Rude and not true. It is many selfish people not quarantining after being exposed…not taking precautions to reduce the spread…so it just keeps going and going.