Eager Ottawa and eastern Ontario travellers prepare for reopening of U.S. land border
The U.S. is set to reopen its land borders to fully vaccinated Canadians on Nov. 8 after keeping the border closed to non-essential travel since the start of the pandemic.
However, if you're planning a trip south, you'll need to be well prepared and have the right documents ready to go.
When the border opens for the first time in 20 months, Justin Bosquet will be counting down the days until he passes through customs.
"We're trying to get out, we haven't been to a football game yet this year and with the sounds of the border opening, as soon as we heard that news we bought our tickets that day," said Bosquet.
He and a group of friends will be travelling to Buffalo for an NFL football game in mid-November.
"We're going to celebrate you know but we're a little bit confused with the PCR testing and truthfully all the rules and regulations involved in crossing the land border right now," said Bosquet.
Beyond normal documentation to cross the border, you can now only do so if you're fully vaccinated and proof will be required. A negative COVID test won't be necessary to enter the U.S., but it will be required to re-enter Canada and must be done within 72 hours of entry.
The rules apply regardless of how long your trip is.
"You need to expect to wait a little while, we're expecting there will be significant lineups at the border. You wanna make sure you have snacks, drinks, and your mind ready to be waiting an hour or two hours," said Jeff Walker, CEO of CAA North and East Ontario.
The U.S. land border has been closed to non-essential travel since March 2020, while Canada reopened its border to non-essential American travellers in August.
"All the snowbirds are getting excited about going down to the U.S., people are getting excited and they're ready to go," said Walker.
The move to reopen the U.S. land borders is a welcome step toward normalcy for travellers like Bosquet.
"We're beyond excited to hear the news, you know it gives us a little bit of sense of that life coming back we're a let o go out and enjoy the things we want to do and football is one of them," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.