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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
'Tactical evacuations' underway near Fort Nelson, B.C., as wildfires encroach
The BC Wildfire Service says 'tactical evacuations' began Friday near Fort Nelson, B.C., due to an out-of-control wildfire that has grown rapidly since it was discovered earlier in the afternoon.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.