'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
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.