'Never asked': B.C. couple claims COVID-19 documentation wasn't checked on international flight
A British Columbia man says he and his wife weren't asked for proof of vaccination or for negative COVID-19 tests on a flight from Cabo San Lucas to Calgary this week.
Ken Poirier said everyone on his flight from Mexico was left unchecked, and he's now wondering why he spent the time and money getting a COVID-19 test done if it went unused.
"Nobody ever asked us anything about COVID-19," Poirier told CTV News. "Not for our (vaccine) passports, not for the negative test report, nothing."
"I could've saved myself $80 US and not done it and nobody would ever be the wiser."
Poirier said he and his wife took the trip because they are both fully vaccinated and wanted to get out of the country.
"So the vaccinations and the testing process and that was supposed to be the safety gap where we could feel comfortable knowing that everybody on the plane is protected," Poirier said. "But that wasn't the case."
The airline said it is investigating the allegations.
"Most certainly we are looking into it and we are going to see what the situation was, specifically in Mexico," WestJet public relations manager Morgan Bell said. "(We want to find out) why that situation may not have been consistent with all of the other experiences that we're having."
The Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) says the onus falls on air carriers to check documentation.
However, spokesperson Rebecca Purdy also wrote that "the mandatory digital submission of information via the ArriveCAN app prior to entry to Canada assists the CBSA to systematically identify fully-vaccinated travellers, and has reduced the need for travellers to provide paper documentation on arrival."
Bell echoed that proof of vaccination on the app is technically a legal attestation, but Westjet passengers are typically checked again.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archeological site in southwest France.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s sons have released a single together
A new Lennon and McCartney collaboration is the last thing anybody expected.