Millions in charges issued to COVID travel rule-breakers
Public health enforcers have issued millions' worth of charges to air travellers for violating federal quarantine rules according to records shared in the House of Commons.
Blacklock's Reporter detailed how during an inquiry discussed in the House showed that travellers who refused to stay in quarantine hotels racked up fines totalling $2,964,000. Records showed that 988 individuals were each issued $3,000 fines for “refusing to go to government-approved accommodation” — the majority of which were issued at Pearson International Airport in Toronto.
The fines stem from an order issued in early January when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government laid new requirements for air travellers in early January. These new rules mandated that before entering Canada, travellers were required to have taken an approved test for COVID three days before arriving in the country.
Blacklock's reported that documents also revealed 62 travellers showed government officials fake COVID tests when they arrived, with four of those individuals receiving $3,000 charges.
A further 9,003 were fined for not having proof of a valid test, with 4,420 of those coming from air passengers and 4,583 coming from drivers crossing land borders following an order identical to the January air travel requirement that was then issued for land crossings in February.
This group included individuals who either did not take a test, had a test beyond the 72-hour threshold, had a test not originating from the required country of origin, tests that officials deemed potentially fraudulent or for “other reasons.”
No details were provided on the total cost of enforcement.
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