Couple who quit jobs to travel eager for U.S. land border reopening
On September 23, Neil Harrietha and Patsy Hughes finished their final day of work.
The couple had quit their jobs, sold all their furniture and we’re ready to start a 181-day road trip across the United States in their RV.
"The border was supposed to open, so we thought, you know what the way the world is, if it’s going to open we’re going to go for it," Neil Harrietha said.
However, the border remained closed to Canadians.
“After we quit they started to delay the opening of the border and we’re looking at each other going, well we’re homeless now, we’ve given everything up,” Harrietha said.
Instead, Harrietha, Hughes, and two travelling companions - Eddie and Brenda Rose - began a journey across Canada, hoping to head to British Columbia for warmer weather.
They never made it.
"We were going to get there for the warmer weather and when the border opened we were going to cross, but we got as far as Thunder Bay and found out the border was going to open," Eddie Rowe said.
For three weeks, the foursome has been camping just outside Thunder Bay, eagerly anticipating the day the border would finally reopen.
"Like a kid at Christmas, one more sleep," Brenda Rowe said.
Experts expect major lineups of cars, full of Canadians anxious to take advantage of the new travel options Monday.
"I think you’re going to see a real rush of people just crush across to take advantage of what they’ve been missing out on, which is getting the cheaper deals in the US, especially with the holiday season coming up," Moshe Lander, an economics professor at Concordia University said.
Some say they are eager for a trip south but are put off by the cost of the required negative PCR test to re-enter Canada; mandatory even on trips less than 72 hours.
"That will be a drawback, I mean it won’t be worth it to go there and then you have to wait for the results," said Clem Pinto, who plans to go shopping in the states over the Black Friday weekend.
"Absolutely not, I’d like to but...you have to take a COVID test to come back for up to $200 even though my wife and I are double vaccinated," Marvin Epstein said.
On Friday, Canada’s top doctor said Health Canada would review the border policies, which are currently set to expire on Nov. 21.
"All of these border policies are being actively looked at, at the moment and one of the key ones is what testing measures should be in place for people taking shorter trips," Dr. Theresa Tam, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, said.
Despite the fees, many travellers are still willing to incur the costs to drive a route they haven’t been able to in nearly two years.
"We’ve been here for three weeks and I want to go," Ernie Rowe said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.