Canada’s ArriveCAN app is still in place despite COVID-19 restrictions easing for travellers, and now it’s time for the app requirement to go, argue border-city mayors, tourism officials and opposition Members of Parliament, reports the Canadian Press.
“We supported the federal government restrictions for years because it was the right thing to do. The science is now telling us that these restrictions at the border are no longer serving us. The restrictions are no longer helping us,” said Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati.
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley added, “every border mayor can tell you horror stories about the border and the inconsistencies of the border measures. It’s arbitrary, we took the required steps at the start of the pandemic, but we’re being punished.”
With the federal government set to remove COVID-19 vaccination requirements for domestic and outbound international travel, it’s now time for the ArriveCAN app to similarly come to an end, argue opponents. The app has also been plagued with issues causing frustration and delays for travellers in the past.
South Okanagan—West Kootenay MP, Richard Cannings, says there needs to be a better plan, especially for his riding with six border points of entry.
Canadians arriving home and international visitors are still required to use the ArriveCan app to fill out their vaccination status, for Canada Border Services Agency.
Despite the opposition, it appears the federal Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra, does not see the need to scrap the ArriveCAN app, as he essentially had a non-answer when asked if the app should be removed.
“ArriveCan is an important tool that continues to be valuable to protecting the health and safety of Canadians and those who are arriving.” He added Minister of Public Safety, Marco Mendicino, was working with stakeholders on how to improve the process.
Canada is expected to axe the $21 million COVID Alert app sometime this week, due to the low uptake of the exposure notification tool. Now it seems ArriveCAN should be next on the chopping block.
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. Want to keep this site truly independent? Support us by buying us a beer, treating us to a coffee, or shopping through Amazon here. Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent Canadian media!
No reason for the app to go, it helps to pre screen ppl.
Honest question: pre screen people for what?
Fake/stolen passports
That would be a different app, or at least something the current app doesn’t do and isn’t used for.
Why keep an app that doesn’t do what you want it to do?
Serves no actual purpose, get rid of it.
Similar to leaving vax mandates in place after omicron hit. Ignorant people think vax prevents or even slows down infection or transmission. Science disagrees. Unless and until a vax is released that actually stops or significantly slows transmission, vax mandates are only meant to punish people that disobeyed and weren’t vaxed.
The ArriveCAN app does nothing but allow the government to enforce the anti-science vax requirements for entry…again, only in order to punish the unvaxed.
That’s simply inaccurate on so many levels
Details…
Stop spreading this Bull Crap!
The vaccine help reduce the severity of illness so one doesn’t end up in the hospital and possibly die. Just as the virus has evolved (variants) so will the vaccines.
Bill crap? Point one one incorrect thing I posted. Just one.
Vaccines might evolve. For now we are boosting with a vax that contains a version of the spike protein that hasn’t existed in the wild for 2 years.
The vax does somewhat reduce severity…how do you use that to justify vax mandates for travellers?
yes, vaccine may help reduce severity for a very small minority. most importantly however, it does NOT prevent contagion. lastly, so much of what media, gov and pharma have peddled is bs with constant changing narrative. stop pretending to be a scientist because you don’t know how effective it is at preventing hospitalization, your only peddling what you heard.
Keep the app. Covid is running unchecked and rampant right now. There’s no reason our health care system should be reviving unvaxxed morons who came to our country without getting vaccinated first. I don’t think they should have to produce a PCR test though – that was never a great system to begin with.
We’re gonna see another outbreak shortly given it’s summer and all of these vaccination restrictions are being lifted along with mask mandates. This isn’t going away.
Stupidity clearly knows no bounds.
Number will go up, numbers will go down, then up, then down. That’s the new reality. Those that are still suffering from PTSD and cannot otherwise cope with that reality would be best to stay in their basements. They will literally never be able let go of their fear.
Stupidity is thinking their fear means everyone else needs to keep living like the world is ending.
Yeah, because the vaccines helped so much against Covid, huh? 🤭
Posted by Kal:
I’m sorry, but this is one of the most intentionally ignorant posts I’ve seen for a long time.
Rampant and unchecked? Covid ICU numbers are the lowest since last august and hospitalizations are the lowest since before Christmas. You are being disingenuous and dishonest. Typical.
You’re ok with getting rid of tests, which might actually prevent someone entering with an active infection and therefore possibly reduce spread in Canada, but you want to keep that app, which won’t keep out unvaxed or reduce spread but does inconvenience them…
Thanks for proving my point. The people that support it are only interested in punishing people. Ignorant.
isnt it declarations too right? its better to use this app then to write it on the paper on the plane or use the booth. covid is just an add on which is easily cleared if your vaxed.
Wait a minute here. Why should it be axed? Isn’t this app used for immigration and customs declaration as well? All passengers already used fill out a paper version of this when entering via commercial transportation. I agree to get rid of the vaccine status but keep the basic functionality intact.
Customs declaration is a separate process. The app is only for covid data collection.
Customs and declaration will become available in Arrivecan this year.
Ahh. Well, at that point, just transition customs to an app and ditch this app.
ArriveCAN was created WAY before COVID was a thing. It’s main purpose was for Customs Declaration. It only became Covid-centric after the outbreak.
ArriveCAN isn’t and shouldn’t go away. The Covid crap in it totally should.
I agree with most of what you said.
But, I’m not sure ArriveCAN actually existed pre-covid. They might have had a vague plan for a customs/declaration app, but it wasn’t this.
From the public safety page detailing the funding of ArriveCAN.
https://www.publicsafety .gc.ca/cnt/trnsprnc/brfng-mtrls/prlmntry-bndrs/20211207/05-en.aspx
You’re correct. The app I was referring to is called CANBorder. It’s still around and both look confusingly similar.. Got the two mixed up! My bad!
Now I wonder how much they spent on that one. Apparently it is no longer accepted at YYZ. 😂
on a side note, they wanna let unvaxxed travel starting june 20 which is great, but to come back in they need to be vaxxed… honestly can this government get more idiotic?
No, unvaxed are still allowed back in, but they need to be tested and to quarantine for 2 weeks (even though there is no actually reason to test or quarantine an unvaxed but not a vaxed person).
They have such inconsistent and idiotic reasoning because they get away with it. Look at this thread. So many people ignoring science, data and common sense and basing their position only on fear, bitterness and ignorance.
a pity how fearful masses are, at the expense of rational thinking.
Facts and reason don’t matter when you’re suffering from PTSD. They’ve spent over 2 years begging to be locked down and being convinced they saved lives and are virtuous for getting a shot and the unvaxed are all selfish killers. They actually believe this. Letting go of the delusion will take years for some.
people waiting in the line more than 8 hours airport and this government blaming them for less staff storage at the airport but we all do know well that these long wait up lines is cause from random testing and ArriveCan App that’s why it’s so backlog at airports
Using our taxpayer money they want $25 million to keep it active ArriveCan App going
They really need drop this app and if you don’t fill up properly on the App it’s $5,000 fine and plus there aske you be quarantine for 14 days or 5 days something
Re-entering Canada every single time land border answering the same darn question over and over especially for seniors are not tech savvy’s even if you have any loved ones could fill it up for them still they want to do a day trip what if something goes wrong or the battery dies out
This needs to be removed ASAP Canadian are sick and tired of this enough already
jeez fukck, you familiar with the term punctuation at all? It HURT to read whatever you wrote!
ArriveCAN, random tests and other assorted covid requirements are only part of the reason for the huge lines.
A completely predictable and completely ignored effect of the vax mandates is that staff that refused the vax were removed. Less staff, now that travel is picking up, means longer lines.
The reason for dropping the vax mandate for travel wasn’t because Trudeau and his groupies finally realized they’ve been ignoring science (they have been) but because the media was actually covering the shiitshow at the airports and the only way to mitigate is to remove the mandates and rehire the staff. So, even with unvaxed now allowed to travel again in Canada, the lineups will be here for weeks or months because it’ll take that long to hire and onboard the staff needed.