By Russ and Tiña De Maris
It appears that some U.S. citizens claiming to be on the way to Alaska may have been naughty. The Canadian government understands the need to travel through Canada to reach Alaska from the U.S. or vice versa. Their approach has been to allow travelers to enter the country and permit them to take a direct route to the U.S. border, doing what’s required to keep Canadians safe from COVID-19.
Not everyone has been doing what they should. Some are using the Alaska excuse as just a way to get into Canada and sightsee, visit friends, etc. Now Canada has cracked down. At the end of July, new rules went into place to keep folks on the straight-and-narrow.
Rule summary
Entry to Canada to transit to Alaska is now limited ONLY to one of these points of entry: in British Columbia, Abbotsford-Huntingdon, Kingsgate, or Osoyoos; in Alberta, Coutts; and in Saskatchewan, North Portal. Rules apply when in the country, too.
Travelers are allowed only “A reasonable period of stay to carry out the transit.” They must use the most direct route from their entry into the country to their intended point of exit. Side trips are verboten, specifically visits to “national parks, leisure sites and tourism activities.” On the other side of the trip, folks transiting across the country are required to visit the nearest Canadian Port of Entry and confirm their exit.
Big Brother is watching
Helping Canadian officials keep an eye on folks transiting cross-country, they’ve added a new trick. On entering Canada, you’ll get a hang-tag to put on your rear view mirror. Your required exit date will be written on the front of the tag. On “your” side of the tag you’ll find health and safety measures you’ll be required to follow while in country. Included in the list are these items:
- Avoid contact with others while in transit
- Remain in the vehicle as much as possible
- Don’t make any unnecessary stops
- Practice physical distancing at all times
- Pay at the pump if you need gas
- Use a drive-through if you need food
- Wear a suitable mask or face covering while in transit
- Ensure good hygiene practices if you need to use a rest area
No matter the reason for travel, all foreign nationals who have COVID-19 or exhibit any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 will not be allowed to enter Canada. And of course, a few “teeth” are included. “Providing false information to a BSO [Border Services Officer] may lead to consequences such as being denied entry and/or banned from returning to Canada.”
And the wallet-hitter: “Failure to comply with the current border restrictions is an offence under the Quarantine Act and could lead to up to $750,000 in fines, and/or imprisonment of up to 6 months. If a traveller causes a risk of imminent death or serious bodily harm to another person while willfully or recklessly contravening this act or the regulations, they could be liable for up to $1,000,000 in fines, and/or imprisonment of up to 3 years.”
Enjoy your transit.
##RVT961b
Way to go, Canadians! I’d ban Americans, too. We can’t be trusted to use good judgement at times. This is one of those times.
Is it not possible to put an RV on a ferry running between Washington and Alaska?
Hi, Gene. Here’s a link to some information about taking RVs on the Alaska Ferry from Washington to Alaska: http://www.alaskaferryvacations.com/Ferry_RVTravel.htm 🙂 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Diane – that’s a super link! Thank you!!!
You’re welcome, Julia. Take care. 🙂 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Good for them. If the US and each state would have taken a stronger stand early on, we likely would be a lot closer to flattening that curve. There have always been folks who thought the rules didn’t apply to them. Nowadays there seem to be more of them…I guess their spawn are continuing the tradition! lol
A few bad apples that think they are smart scamming the system created the problem. They could eventually get to Alaska with their RV’s and when they want to return to the lower 48 might be refused re-entry to Canada. See how that works out for them.
Eleven winters in Yuma, AZ from Canada and we won’t be going this winter. Not looking forward to our prairie winter but ice fishing again will be fun. I feel sorry for the businesses in Yuma as 1/3 of the plates you see there during the winter are from Canada.
I had to laugh about the need food use a drive thru, only rv suitable for a drive thru might be a pop up. Some drive thrus even have a curb on both sides of the driveway to prevent vehicles pulling trailers from going thru. I’ll bet the politicians that thought of these rules never gave that a thought. Most fast food restaurants in this country wouldn’t let truckers walk thru their drive thru. They had to be in a vehicle.
When eating in the restaurants was banned, most used the idea of ‘curbside’ delivery. Call them from your cell, place and pay for the order and drive up or as near as you can and they happily brought it out to your vehicle. They made $$$ and you get to eat in your own ‘home’, it works really slick and this is not just for fast food joints.
I think they were referring to vehicles going thru drive thru fast food establishments not RV’s.
Just think of the outcry if such stiff penalties were put in place for illegal entry across US southern border
While I do not blame Canada one bit for cracking down, I have to wonder if this also means there will be more campsites available in the southern USA, like Florida for example, this winter, since I am assuming the Canadian snowbirds will have to stay in the great frozen north this winter.??
The Canadian government is advising against non-essential travel… apparently the US border is not closed to us but our government is advising us to stay home… so currently it looks like snowbirds can still travel south this winter but with warnings… and when they return to Canada, they have to self- isolate for 14 days… been there, done it this spring… we even had the local town cops checking up on us daily… guess they had nothing else better to do… and while in isolation, the government will contact you daily just to make sure you are obeying the quarantine rules… they take all this contact information when you cross the border into Canada… and as to what Bill was wondering… yes, I would guess there will be more RV sites available in places like Florida this coming winter… my wife and I have no plans to go south in our Class A this year… even with insurance, catching a highly contagious form of pneumonia is not on our bucket list…
Covid is not a form of pneumonia. Pneumonia is a possible result of contracting covid. Please let’s not confuse an already confusing virus. It is not the flu and it not a highly contagious form of pneumonia. Giving the Covid 19 virus different names is a tactic used to diminish the seriousness of our nationwide catastrophe.
Thank you, Dane. 🙂 —Diane at RVtravel.com
As it stands right now the land border between Canada and the USA is still closed and will remain so until at least Sept 21. Until the border opens there is no possibility “to go south in our Class A this year… even with insurance”. If your flying down that is a different story.
I’m glad the local police checked up on you, from your derogatory comments it sounds like you’re the kind of person who would ignore the self-isolation rules because it’s an inconvenience.
And after experiencing a family member dying from covid19, I can assure you it’s not pneumonia. You do not want to get it.
“Wear a suitable mask or face covering while in transit”.
In your car or truck? Please say it isn’t so.
Common sense does apply… they mean when there is chance that you will come into contact with someone… liking when fueling up your vehicle… or buying fast food… basically they want you to avoid any and all contact with anybody while travelling through Canada to Alaska… if there is a chance it might happen, then you must have a mask on… currently in places like Nova Scotia, one must wear a face mask even when just out for a few groceries… basically in any indoor public place… which means any and all stores and malls…
Hi, Tommy. That reminds me of something my son mentioned awhile ago. He saw a guy driving his truck, wearing a face mask with a hole in it through which he was smoking a cigarette. 😆 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Good for Canada. Glad to see a countrys leaders taking strong actions to prevent unnecessary death and disruption.
Any of our “leaders” paying attention?
Sorry, but our so called Leader is on vacation. He calls them Personal Days….
Work for him a dirty four letter word.
That was a plural “leaders” in Ken S. post. Congress isn’t doing anything except jockeying for power. They could care less about those at the front lines of this thing.
It seems that they are only there to “BS” the electorate so that they can get re elected. They are usually not there to function as representatives of the electorate when deciding on — for the people. Especially when they submit to being told what to do by a want to be Dictator.