Following a zoom meeting last week, border city mayors across Canada are calling on the federal government to drop the testing requirement at the border now.
An open letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is signed by 15 mayors, including Windsor's Drew Dilkens and Sarnia's Mike Bradley. It states the "absurdity" of it will "undermine Canadians' confidence in all levels of government."
Pointing out border cities have paid a heavy price to protect the Canadian public against COVID-19, it continues to say those communities continue to suffer because strict testing guidelines continue to make it cost-prohibitive for many to cross.
It calls the requirement out of synch with the current science on COVID-19 and public health mandates.
"In March, Canadians will soon witness full capacity at NHL games with 20,000 fans with no testing requirement, but fully-vaccinated American tourists will not be able to cross over the border in their own family car without an unnecessary, expensive test administered by a health professional," it read.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos has repeatedly said border requirements are constantly under review. The letter refutes that. It says, "department officials are telling border industries that these, in fact, will not be reviewed until the end of March."
It signs off by saying, "Your government acted quickly to put these measures in place, and your government must act quickly to remove them in these early days of March."
