'Vaccine is the way': Some Alberta truckers say the solution to the mandate issue is simple
Alberta's transportation minister says she is watching the unfolding situation involving the vaccine mandate for Canadian and U.S. truckers that could cause problems in the industry.
Transportation Minister Rajan Sawhney made a statement on the issue Saturday, saying that more than 50 per cent of Alberta's gross domestic product is delivered by truck, so the service is essential for the provincial economy.
"We have been working with our industry stakeholders throughout the pandemic to maintain an effective workforce and transportation network. We have also worked with the federal government to address the challenges faced by our industry, and we will continue to advocate for our interests," Sawhney said.
On Thursday, the federal government announced it would not be changing the rules for Canadian truckers to allow them to cross the Canada-U.S. border without proof of being vaccinated against COVID-19.
The change is despite an announcement made earlier in the week that Ottawa says "was provided in error."
Sylvain Charlebois, who is a food policy and distribution professor, says the impact to Canada's supply chain could be huge.
"Most food companies are already operating with 15 to 20 per cent fewer people," he told CTV News. "And over $25 billion worth of food comes from the United States every single year. So we are expecting smaller businesses, independent grocers, to have a hard time getting food."
The Canadian Trucking Alliance, in a statement to CTV News earlier this week, said the government's mandate would result in approximately 16,000 cross-border drivers leaving their jobs.
Trucker Graham Cool says he knows many industry colleagues who will be impacted.
"There's a little bit of a sentiment that the guys don't want to do it, they don't want to be forced to do it," he said. "But I'm double vaccinated.
"I think the vaccine is the way to get out of this mess. We also have to think about everyone else in the world. I'm crossing over five or six provinces and all kinds of different towns."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.