Travel to Canada

A snowHead

@narbs, so literally the rules changed very rapidly this week, mid week. Announcement , then changes at midnight. Before that vaccine passport checked everywhere. I am pro vaccine, was pro passport, but I get why we have stopped demanding it. Here in Alberta vaccines do not seem to be preventing anyone from getting omicron and so the ethics behind requiring a passport when it seems everyone can get and transmit it seem somewhat dubious. Yes for Delta, it was extremely effective, but Omicron, no. I tested positive about 2.5 weeks ago and was symptomatic. About 5 weeks post booster.

A snowHead

@gryphea, thanks, that explains it! It’s certainly speeding things up - long traffic queue for the last km or so up to Sunshine yesterday but all on the gondolas within 5 minutes.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

This is what's been agreed between the Federal and provincial governments to come into effect Feb 28th; still theoretically subject to change but would require something going very wrong between now and then

Rapid antigen tests will be accepted for entry into Canada if taken within 24 hours of departure. Tests with online supervision will be accepted.
Eligible travellers leaving Canada and returning within 72 hours won't need to provide a test.
No more mandatory arrival testing. Travellers may be randomly selection upon arrival for testing but won't be required to quarantine.
Free rapid tests will be given to arriving travellers but they're to be used on a voluntary basis.
Fully vaccinated children under 12 won't need to avoid high-risk settings anymore (school, camp, etc.)
Global travel advisory will be lifted.

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Pre-covid I did a LOT of international travel; so I have a lot of connections and memberships of various travel related message boards.

Biggest difference is Antigen being the required predeparture test for entry to Canada

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After all it is free

For the US you can get a video supervised test where you show someone your passport then they watch you swabbing your nose and dropping solution on the test strip. Then you get certified for lft as normal with uploads of the casette 15 mins later. Not much cheaper than a drive thru PCR though when I did it.

Natives question - i'm due to be driving YVR to Golden next weekend (would have stopped over en route but would rather burn some of my quarantine period in transit) - how reliable is google maps re road openings e.g. if I currently search directions to Golden it sends me up 5 but then there is a road closed icon on a stretch of 5?

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@Mr Marmot, we live in canada. My son's ski team travelled back from US through a land border. They had arrived 5 days earlier all with negative rapid antigen. All with pre departure PCRs. 4 got selected for arrival testing, but there were no facilities to test. They had to book an online zoom call with supervised swab testing. Then a courier has come to each of the team's houses, scattered over 3 different cities/areas. For some reason, which is mind blowing, the courier doesn't courier within BC , so he had to take the swab for the girl who lives in BC. They crossed in Ontario. In my mind a total waste of government money.

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Additional speculation question. Any danger the Canadian gov might change the rules on 72 hr pre flight PCR with immediate effect? i.e, make it 48Hr or 24 hr. Woudl be unreasonable but then govts have been dicks about all sorts of stuff.

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The current position is that they will move from 72 hour PCR to 24 hour Antigen at the end of the month, subject to the announcement this week

Flying from Aberdeen to vancouver today. Only thing check in desk in Aberdeen asked for was pcr test.

You know it makes sense.

@WASHOUT, have you done verifly though?

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

Check at gate at where you are transiting through possibly- airline's responsibility if Canada don't admit you?

A snowHead

Thought only arriveCan was needed along with proof of vaccines

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I thought verifly was optional but BA encouraged it before travel and I could not check in online before arrival at airport. My paperwork (I believe) is all in order (arrivcan, ETA, pcr fit to fly and my NHS app with 3x vaccinations).

Heathrow a breeze like normal but v quiet.

Will report back how YVR I have not prebooked a test.

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Verify is not mandatory.

You’ve the paperwork I’ll be carrying in a months time unless they change the PCR requirements down to a LFT.

Good to know how you get on.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

It currently works like this:

1 - Arrivecan - upload vaccination certificates
2 - Check-in - verify PCR test by check-in agent
3 - YVR arrivals. At the Kiosk, get passport scanned, photo taken, answer some questions, issued a receipt.
4 - Immigration review your receipt, assuming all is fine tell you whether you're going to be tested or not, pass you through to baggage collection
5 - collect bags, walk to exit. Receipt checked again, get directed to either testing queue or cleared for exit

You'll need to Register first of course.

What about the CBSA pre filling of the form online for border - waste of time or worthwhile? Curiously seemingly only accessible via ArriveCAN online not via the app.

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After all it is free

@WASHOUT, similar experience of Heathrow so far. Checked proof of recovery pass on NHS app, no issues. Didn’t ask to see anything for our 9 year old but had a negative PCR at the ready. Now enjoying a beer in weatherspoons! Interesting to see what awaits at YVR…

"Natives question - i'm due to be driving YVR to Golden next weekend (would have stopped over en route but would rather burn some of my quarantine period in transit) - how reliable is google maps re road openings e.g. if I currently search directions to Golden it sends me up 5 but then there is a road closed icon on a stretch of 5?"

Google isn't reliable especially for closures due to Avalanche. DriveBC is what you should look at. I've sat in Golden for hours and Google has had the road clear and free flowing....

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A bit of a downer.... Aberdeen airport just of the phone my suitcase still there.... luckily got boots and ski gear with me in hand luggage and think my ski bag still on enroute.

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@Dave of the Marmottes,

I drove the Coquihalla last week (and north van to Kicking Horse a few weeks before when the Coquihalla was still closed)
For the most part the Coquihalla is amazingly fixed up and running again apart from a few single lane sections - and it is way better than the alternative routes.
That said I was checking DriveBC and Google maps because it is a mountain road with lots of trucks and prone to accidents and blockages. Last week there was a snowy section that was blocked in the other direction to me with trucks spinning out/sliding trying to get up the hills or backing up traffic whilst lining up to put chains on (likely the lack of being the reason for some not getting up the hill!)

I happened to be looking at Google maps yesterday, and Google said a section was closed, when nothing on drive bc - look for the red triangles and magnifying glasses on the drive bc map. I think looking carefully, this is one of the sections they are still fixing, and the closure is just on one side. At this point there is a contraflow, and construction speed limits, but was open.Looks like this is the case as just slower but not stopped traffic indicated by Google today at the same point (still showing the closure)

Going to Kicking Horse I had to spend a couple of hours in Revelstoke waiting for Rogers Pass Avalanche control. Not that bad as nice enough place with plenty of restaurants, though was closed all afternoon/evening, so lots of truckers in a hurry! Shocked

DriveBC app is good for tracking that, and allows you to plan - though note the list view seems to update faster than the map. That's why I also use Google maps as it seems to be a little more real-time, though I think it also needs cell service so the clear bits on some highways may well be because there is none!

If 5 is open, go that way, even with slowdowns and traffic. I had to go 3, 5A, 5 to Kicking Horse and it added at least 2 hours and is a much harder road (3 also very closure prone)

Whichever way you go, be prepared to be stopped for quite a while (lots of petrol, warm clothes, food, water)

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Anybody know where I go for missing bags with BA in vancouver airport?

You know it makes sense.

There's a lost luggage desk in baggage reclaim it's on the left as you walk through. (It was 2yrs ago who knows now).

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Cheers

A snowHead

A snowHead

Not long been in Clearance Centre in Whistler too. They've had a bit of stuff in this week including two pairs of snowboard boots in my size. Could have done with them this time last week.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Just now from Canadian government:

As of February 28, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. EST:

We will be easing the on-arrival testing for fully-vaccinated travellers. This means that travellers arriving to Canada from any country, who qualify as fully vaccinated, will be randomly selected for arrival testing. Travellers selected will also no longer be required to quarantine while awaiting their test result.
Children under 12 years old, travelling with fully vaccinated adults, will continue to be exempt from quarantine, without any prescribed conditions limiting their activities. This means, for example, they no longer need to wait 14 days before attending school, camp or daycare.
Unvaccinated travellers will continue to be required to test on arrival, on Day 8 and quarantine for 14 days. Unvaccinated foreign nationals will not be permitted to enter Canada unless they meet one of the few exemptions.
Travellers will now have the option of using a COVID-19 rapid antigen test result (taken the day prior to their scheduled flight or arrival at the land border or marine port of entry) or a molecular test result (taken no more than 72 hours before their scheduled flight or arrival at the land border or marine port of entry) to meet pre-entry requirements. Taking a rapid antigen test at home is not sufficient to meet the pre-entry requirement – it must be authorized by the country in which it was purchased and must be administered by a laboratory, healthcare entity or telehealth service.
The Government of Canada will adjust its Travel Health Notice from a Level 3 to a Level 2. This means that the Government will no longer recommend that Canadians avoid travel for non-essential purposes.
Travellers should understand the risks that are still associated with international travel given the high incidence of Omicron, and take necessary precautions.
On February 28, 2022 at 16:00 EST, Transport Canada’s Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) that restricts where international passenger flights can arrive in Canada will expire. This means that international flights carrying passengers will be permitted to land at all remaining Canadian airports that are designated by the Canada Border Services Agency to receive international passenger flights.

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Changes: sounds like a good move. I'll be there before that cuts in, just.

The note about other airports is interesting, I wonder if there'll be more flight capacity. Flights seem cheap enough, but
there's not as much as I'd expect available.

Lost luggage: sorry to hear that. The Covid testing is where all those service desks used to be, isn't it?
There was a recent thread where people who don't get out from behind their keyboards much insisted such things never happen.
In my case I usually end up on the phone as my gear becomes significantly better travelled than me.

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@Snowsartre, 'As of February 28, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. EST:
Canada be easing the on-arrival testing for fully-vaccinated travellers. This means that travellers arriving to Canada from any country, who qualify as fully vaccinated, will be randomly selected for arrival testing. Travellers selected will also no longer be required to quarantine while awaiting their test result. from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2022/02/government-of-canada-lightens-border-measures-as-part-of-transition-of-the-pandemic-response.html Happy travels!

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I'm a bit gutted to have missed the changes by 9 days (I'm flying out on Saturday) but I've I've got my pre-departure PCR today and I've just tested -ve on a lateral flow so fingers crossed Smile

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No major problems to report with vancouver airport, I was picked out to test but they where picking most people out.

Not a major with my suitcase getting lost my ski bag turned up and I had enough gear in my pull along (boots, base layers, glove, helmet etc) for a few days skiing only need to buy a buff. So no issue. Also get compensation from insurance for delayed bags.

After all it is free

@Dave of the Marmottes, google doesn't work when there is no cell reception.So this affects large swathes of national park. My worst impact- 13.75 hrs on way home from invermere which usually takes 2.5 to 3. Google had it green

So, the rules for BC as of 11.59 tonight:

Vaccine passport, ID, and facemasks still required

No table size limits
No capacity limits
Table mixing allowed
Dancing allowed
Indoor and outdoor events allowed

I suspect that staffing issues for the majority of hospitality businesses will now become VERY apparent here in Whistler

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Travel to Canada

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