Feds spent nearly $400 million on 'quarantine hotels' during COVID pandemic

The Canadian Press / Adrian Wyld

The Trudeau Liberals left taxpayers with a hefty bill for quarantine hotels throughout the COVID pandemic. Since 2020, the feds have spent nearly $400 million on these designated facilities, including about $80 million in 2022.

According to Health Canada, the Trudeau Liberals spent $388.7 million on designated quarantine facilities between March 2020 and September 2022. Broken down by fiscal year, it amounted to $158.5 million in 2020/21, $153 million in 2021/22, and $77.2 million in 2022/23. 

"The costs associated with this program included lodging, meals, security, traveller support, and transportation," said Tammy Jarbeau, spokesperson for Health Canada. "The Government of Canada has always worked to protect Canadians, adapting our COVID response based on the latest science and evidence."

She added that designated quarantine facilities met public health guidelines to accommodate quarantining travellers, as required per emergency orders under the Quarantine Act.

Canadians returning from non-essential travel abroad had to take a test and await results at a designated quarantine hotel until they received a negative result.

Then Health Minister Patty Hajdu had the authority to designate any place in Canada to act as a quarantine facility and amend or cancel the designation at her whim.

She designated 38 quarantine facilities in 14 cities across Canada, including The Westin Calgary Airport in northeast Calgary.

Although Hadju's mandate officially ended on August 9, 2021, unvaccinated Canadians still had to isolate themselves for 14 days after entering the country.

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner revealed Tuesday that the Trudeau Liberals spent $6.7 million at the Westin in Calgary last year to quarantine 15 people. She expressed her disdain for the designated facilities, calling them a "waste" of taxpayer dues for 2022/23.

"It was across the country, and if someone hasn’t already been fired over this, that has to happen," said Rempel Garner. "I think there are a lot more questions … Why was this needed after quarantine restrictions were lifted? Did somebody forget to cancel the contract?"

Jarbeau said that the Public Health Agency of Canada finalized closeout plans with designated hotels and confirmed none remained operational in the country. 

She added that experts supported the Fed's public health measures and claimed they and the vaccines prevented millions from testing positive for COVID across Canada.

"These facilities were an important measure to stop the spread and save lives," said Jarbeau, who also claimed that it saved, in part, the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents.