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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
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.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.