Premier Ford Pens Letter to Prime Minister Trudeau Regarding Border Restrictions

Premier Doug Ford says the current border restrictions failed to keep variants of concern out of Canada and he calling on the Trudeau Government to implement additional restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus.

ONTARIO - Premier Doug Ford has sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling on him to address issues at the border.

He would like Ottawa to reduce incoming international flights and implement mandatory pre-depature PCR testing for all domestic air travellers. Ford is also calling for a mandatory 3-day quarantine in federally designated hotels at the highest traffic border crossings.

He adds the border is the federal government's responsibility and the current measures in place have failed to keep the variants of concern out of Canada.

Premier Ford is set to make an announcement at 12:00 p.m. today alongside Minister of Health Christine Elliott, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams.

You can read his full letter to Prime Minister Trudeau below;

May 12, 2021

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau
Prime Minister of Canada

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau:

I want to thank you again for your collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ontarians, and all Canadians, expect their governments to work together, and that is why I am once again asking for your help to address the issues at our borders. While our government appreciated a return letter from Minister LeBlanc, we were disappointed that no response was provided regarding the specific items we requested.

To reiterate, Ontario has made three formal requests for enhanced measures at the borders:

1. April 22, 2021: Reduce incoming international flights to lessen the mobility of COVID-19 variants and roll out further protective actions at the Canada-U.S. land border.

2. April 26, 2021: Implement mandatory pre-departure PCR testing for all domestic air travellers entering Ontario, consistent with the requirements for international flights.

3. April 29, 2021: Address the loophole at Canada's international land border by implementing a mandatory 3-day hotel quarantine in federally designated hotels at the highest traffic crossings.

To date, there has been no action on any of these requests and no indication that anything is coming. As I have said from the start of this pandemic, there is nothing more important than protecting the health and safety of Ontarians. This includes securing our borders so we can stop the importation of cases and protect Ontarians from new, potentially vaccine escaping, COVID-19 variants of concern.

As you are aware, Ontario is currently fighting an extremely challenging third wave fueled by variants, including the B.1.1.7 variant that has now become the dominant strain in the province. Recently, we have also seen new travel-related cases of the B.1.617 variant in Niagara, Ottawa, and London, and confirmed cases of the P1 variant in
Hamilton.

In the past two weeks alone, 40 domestic and 24 international flights landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport with confirmed cases of COVID-19. Unfortunately, because there is currently no testing requirement for domestic travellers, passengers who may have been exposed on the domestic flights are immediately able to move around within
Canada.

During the same two-week period, 172,000 individuals, excluding essential truck drivers, have crossed Canada’s international border. Many of these travellers entered at the land border to bypass mandatory hotel quarantine.

Further, we have seen alarming reports that one in three individuals travelling internationally by air have also been able to bypass this requirement. According to recent data from the Public Health Agency of Canada, approximately 88,000 air travellers have been granted exemptions and no reasons were offered for why they were able to avoid the quarantine hotel rules.

I am asking the federal government to provide Canadians with a clear explanation of why almost one third of international air travellers have been allowed to skip this critically important public health measure. As well, we are requesting additional information on the country of origin of these travellers and further details on the circumstances of these exemptions. It’s clear the current system must be strengthened to ensure that international travellers are abiding by the mandatory quarantine requirements.

Existing measures at the border, an area of federal responsibility, failed to keep variants of concern out of Canada. These variants entered our province through our borders and, as a result, have had devastating impacts on our communities. While we cannot go back in time, I want to make sure we are working together to prevent any future variants from entering our country. The health and well-being of all Canadians depends on it.

For 14 months, Ontarians, and all Canadians, have made incredible sacrifices to stop the spread of COVID-19. They have been asked to do their part by staying at home, not gathering for special occasions, or seeing loved ones outside their own household. At the same time, people can leave Canada and fly or walk back into the country. I worry that without strong measures at the borders, the sacrifices Ontarians have made will be for nothing.

Given the continued urgency of these issues, and the need to avoid a potential fourth wave of COVID-19 through our borders, your urgent attention to these specific requests is needed as quickly as possible.

Thank you and I look forward to discussing further.

Sincerely,

Doug Ford
Premier