Canadian border reopens one way for love, tourism By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Monday, Aug. 9, 2021

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This article was published 08/08/2021 (1236 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EMERSON — After 17 long months, a teary-eyed Tewedaje Asele got to hug her husband.

She was one of many Americans crossing the Manitoba border Monday to visit family members only seen via video screen amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m alive, he’s alive. We lost a lot of people, so I’m thankful,” Asele said.

As of Aug. 8, at 11:01 p.m. (CDT), fully vaccinated citizens and permanent residents of the United States could cross the international line to reconnect with northern neighbours. The Canadian border had been closed to non-essential travel since March 2020.

Asele is a phlebotomist in North St. Paul, Minn. She began the drive Sunday, and became emotional Monday morning, on the Canadian side of the border, when asked about her husband, Lidetu.

“I just want to be with him,” she said. “It was really hard… not being together.”

He isn’t an American citizen. They celebrated their second wedding anniversary Aug. 6. He was on the phone with her throughout the drive to Winnipeg.

“Whenever I’m going somewhere, he’s just there,” Asele said, adding she plans to stay in the Manitoba capital for at least four months.

Jennifer Grube, 62, flashed her negative COVID-19 test results to border agents Monday morning.

“It was fine,” Grube said afterward. “Took a few extra minutes.”

Canadian Border Services Agency employees ended work-to-rule strike action Aug. 6. They had been without a long-term contract since 2018.

Their union and Ottawa struck a deal after 36 hours of negotiations. During the talks, truckers reported hours-long waits at points of entry across the country.

“I’m excited,” Grube said of finally getting into Manitoba.

Grube traveled to Winnipeg from Pembina, N.D., to visit her daughter and grandson. Her last time in the Prairie city was October 2019.

“I’ve been fine, but missing the kids a lot,” she said. “I’m going to squeeze those kids so hard.”

Americans entering Canada for non-essential travel must show a negative COVID-19 test, be fully vaccinated for at least two weeks with doses approved by Ottawa, and be asymptomatic upon arrival. Visitors must use ArriveCAN, an online application, to submit travel information.

They don’t need to quarantine upon arrival but should have a quarantine plan, officials said.

People who give false information about their vaccination status could be fined up to $750,000 or a jail term of six months, or both.

Canadians still can’t enter the United States for non-essential travel. Its border will stay shut to until at least Aug. 21.

“I think it’s a little backwards,” said Taylor Friesen, a University of North Dakota student who re-entered Manitoba on Monday. “I feel like we should be allowed to cross over. We have a pretty good, high vaccine rate.”

Friesen, 24, has been back and forth a few times from her home community of Winnipeg and her campus in Grand Forks, N.D., during the pandemic.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in quarantine,” she said, despite being double vaccinated early as a health-care worker.

For Simon Resch, co-owner of the Duty Free Shop in Emerson, business won’t be back until Canadians are crossing and re-crossing.

“Right now, we don’t have that, and so from our perspective, the border is still effectively closed,” he said.

Some Americans stop in on their way home, he said. Even so, the family-owned store has been running on 80 to 85 per cent less traffic and is in need of a giant boost, Resch said.

Summer is when it does best — about 75 per cent of patrons — but it’s already August, Resch said. He estimates the business will be out $10 million by the end of 2021.

“It’s tricky,” he said. “You’re doing things that you never normally would.”

For him, it’s setting up a restaurant inside the shop. A section will have pizza ovens, coffee and grab-and-go meals. There won’t be tables; it’s meant to be an in-and-out thing.

“Hopefully that will be enough to incentivize people to come and visit us, and expose them to the duty-free goods,” Resch said.

He hopes subsidies from Ottawa supporting employees of tourism and travel-related industries will continue.

“If wage support programs run out, and we’re still 80 per cent down, the math just doesn’t work out any other way. I have to go to (employees) and say, ‘I’m sorry,’” Resch said.

“That to me is incredibly unfair, and that’s sort of the situation we’re looking at.”

On Monday, Winnipeg Richardson International Airport joined the list of those open to non-essential flights from the United States.

However, the first flight from U.S.-based Delta Air Lines probably won’t land on the city’s tarmac until mid-September, according to Jennifer Cameron, Winnipeg Airports Authority communications manager.

“The timeline of this service returning is dependent on a number of factors, apart from the restriction being lifted on Monday… Winnipeg Airports Authority is collaborating closely with airlines to co-ordinate opportunities,” Cameron said in a written statement.

“We are looking forward to welcoming Delta back this fall and will continue to provide more updates as they become available on our website and social media channels.”

Winnipeg joined airports in Halifax, Quebec City, Ottawa and Edmonton in allowing flights from the United States, beginning Aug. 9. International commercial flights had previously been limited to Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

Arrivals no longer need to spend three nights quarantine in a government-authorized hotel.

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca