Vaccinations now required to travel into and through Canada on planes, trains and boats
All Canadians aged 12 and older now need to show proof of vaccination if you want to hop on a flight or train ride to any other Canadian destination.
The new rules that took effect Tuesday, follow a one month grace period where negative molecular COVID-19 tests were allowed to board trains, planes and cruise ships. Now all travellers must be fully vaccinated.
Airlines West Jet and Air Canada say they have resources in place to check proof of vaccination. Attendants were spotted scanning barcodes Tuesday at Calgary International Airport.
“Customers can submit their proof of vaccination online ahead of travel,” read a statement from Air Canada.
“They have the option to do this either through the Manage My Booking tab up to 72 hours prior to travel or when they check-in online and obtain a boarding pass within 24 hours of their flight. We strongly encourage customers to use our online tools to save time at the airport and to make the airport experience more streamlined.”
Air Canada says its self-serve kiosks at the airport are unable to accommodate proof of vaccine documents at this time.
Each boarding pass will have a code that reflects an approved traveller, meaning their ticket will not need to be checked again.
Travellers at Calgary airport, Nov. 30, 2021
SAFE AND SECURE
For West Jet and Swoop Airlines, staff have been working on safe and secure technology to approve travellers at the gates.
“The introduction of a self-service solution ensures we can accurately and effectively validate 100 per cent of guests' vaccination status,” explained Stuart McDonald, WestJet’s interim Executive Vice-President and Chief Information Officer.
“Initially our agents had been manually validating vaccination status at various stages throughout the travel journey. We now have a Canada-wide technology solution that prioritizes guest privacy and ease of travel.”
WestJet says its automated technology will scan all provincial and territorial QR code’s, which contains each guest’s proof of vaccination.
These automated scans are available via the WestJet App, digital check in and at airport kiosks as of November 30.
“By automating the process through scans, our agents can focus on the higher touch aspects of assisting guests,” said McDonald.
A FEW HICCUPS
Gregory Cann and his wife were in Calgary for a wedding. Their flight home to Vancouver on Tuesday had a few hiccups, when one of them was able to approve their vaccine status online, while the other could not.
Cann says Ottawa did not streamline the process very easily.
“It’s taken awhile to get their act together but still for the public it’s just an exercise in frustration as it feels like we’re the ones that have to sort through how the hell to pull this altogether,” said Cann.
The Government of Canada says in order to board, all travellers must have received their second dose at least 14 days before their departure date.
The rules apply to anyone who is travelling by plane on domestic, trans border or international flights departing from Canadian airports, and rail passengers on VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.