Manitoba/Ontario border to reopen Wednesday
Manitobans looking to visit their Ontario cottages are getting the news they’ve been waiting for.
Border restrictions on people entering the province from the west are set to be lifted on Wednesday.
In a statement, Ontario Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said following the province’s transition to Step One of the Roadmap to Reopen, the health order regarding travel into Ontario from Manitoba and Quebec has not been extended.
“The order will expire at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, at which time individuals will be able to enter Ontario via its interprovincial land and water borders. Those entering Ontario must continue to follow the public health measures in place in the province,” reads the statement.
The Ontario public health order, which was put in place on April 19, barred travellers from Manitoba and Quebec without a valid reason.
People could enter for work, medical care, transport of goods, and Indigenous treaty rights. Many cottage owners were out of luck.
Over the May long weekend, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) stopped and checked over 1,200 vehicles, resulting in 42 drivers being denied entry into the province.
More recently between the dates of June 5-7, 1,019 vehicles were stopped by police, with 12 vehicles forced to turn around.
In response to a CTV News request for information on the continued border restrictions Sunday, the OPP said, “The order relating to the closure of Ontario’s land and water borders with Manitoba and Quebec remains in place. We will communicate prior to its termination.”
Last week, the Manitoba government announced fully vaccinated people from other provinces can enter Manitoba without self-isolating.
Dr. Brent Roussin said enforcing the border rules and the self-isolation requirements have been a challenge in Manitoba during the pandemic.
“We’re one of the only western provinces that have that self-isolation requirement upon entry into Manitoba, with some exceptions,” he said.
Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin said Monday that nonessential travel is still discouraged and further relaxing of travel-related restrictions could be implemented in the near future.
“With the vaccine uptake coming, we’re looking hopefully in the near future to have less and less of these restrictions,” said Dr. Roussin.
In response to the border’s eventual reopening, opposition leader Wab Kinew said the current rules and messaging from the province on travel are too confusing.
“I would just like to see clarity, so Manitobans know, here are the rules in terms of potentially going to the cottage and here’s what’s expected of you,” said Kinew.
For businesses in Kenora, the border reopening right at the start of the summer couldn’t have come at a better time.
“A lot of our local businesses, they rely on our summer tourism,” said Tim Warkentin, board member on the Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce.
“It generates a big chunk of their business and to our economy in Kenora,” he said, “We are a tourist town.”
Warkentin added that, if the border remained closed throughout the summer, it is very likely some businesses in Kenora would not make it through the season.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.