The US / Canada trip is not going back. And border officials worried | Local news

The Canadian government last week extended Sept. 30 to require visitors to complete the confusing ArriveCan app for Covenant-19 threats, as a result of which the summer tourism season has been disrupted for the third year in a row. Refusing travelers do not seem to want to connect to ArriveCan.

Now, Buffalo, Fort Erie, Ontario, Niagara Falls, NY and Niagara Falls, Ontario, as well as officials and stakeholders at the 3,000-mile border are saying that anger is approaching. They say the local economy, which is based on cross-border traffic, has been suffering from unnecessary restrictions due to the recent decline of the CV-19 level.

Niagara Falls, one of the world’s most popular tourist attractions, still offers anemic cross-border visits because it includes vaccination status and proper travel destinations. The Peace Bridge Authority and the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission reported that revenue from traffic levels fell by half before 2019. And many travelers looking forward to crossing the border and renewing their regular visits are easily distracted by the ongoing requirements of Ottawa.

“At this time when many people are returning to normalcy, the border communities in the United States and Canada are not as close as they used to be,” said Brian Higgins de Buffalo. “This is the beginning of the journey for 2022 and we still have all these weaknesses and obstacles that we need to overcome.”

Higgins, one of the most vocal critics of the policy, has spoken out with the Prime Minister of Canada and the Ambassador of Washington. The latest statistics show that the number of crossings of the bridge has decreased by 70,000 per month, which indicates that passengers are avoiding cross-border travel due to ArriveCan requirements. He said the border practice only works if travelers are able to cross with little difficulty and at a reasonable time.

“Everything has been taken,” Higgins said, noting that travelers are avoiding the ArriveCan problem. “People just do different things.”

The concern is echoing in Ottawa. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been slammed by Niagara Fate’s conservative Tony Tony Baldini. In Niagara, 40,000 people work in the tourism industry, accounting for 75 percent of summer income and 50 percent of local visitors coming from the United States.

“So why put this desperate situation for our American friends to come?” He asks. “It is unbelievable that this liberal government has ignored this. Instead, it is putting barriers in the tourism industry by putting obstacles in the way of ArriveCan.”

Ottawa announced Wednesday that the ArriveCan standard will continue, ending the holiday weekend for many on both sides of the border. But Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos Kovid-19 said he was still concerned.

“It is important to remember that the outbreak is not over as we move on to our next CV-19 response,” he said in a statement this week. Others are protected from the virus. “

But Baldnelli, a member of parliament’s International Trade Committee, pointed to a copy of recent Ottawa hearings that highlighted concerns from across Canada. Base Porter, president and CEO of the Canadian Tourism Industry Association, told the committee that tourism spending had dropped by 50 percent before the epidemic, 89 percent by one night, and 400,000 people lost their jobs in the industry. . She predicts that Canada’s tourism industry will not return to the 2019 level by 2026.

Potter reminded the committee that vaccination is not required on public transport, in stadiums or in restaurants across the country.

“Travel and tourism is the only industry with restrictions related to participation in the movement,” she says. “There is no other industry in the economy.”

Mayors of Canadian border communities, including Niagara Falls Ontario’s Jim Diodatin, are joining in the singing. He told the Canadian National Observer at a news conference in Ottawa last month that using the app or the online portal for the Canadian Border Service Agency was out of the question.

“We all support the federal government in all its borders,” Diodati said. But science is now telling us that having these limits on the border does not work for us.

In addition, the two international bodies that control the crossing of the Niagara River fear serious financial problems if normal traffic levels do not continue soon. After the Canadian government lifted test requirements in April, cross-border crossings remain 44% below normal. A similar fall was reported by the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, he said.

“So people are not crossing the border, even if they can,” Rinas said.

In a statement to parliament last month, Rianas said the following requirements “have had a significant impact on our revenue streams, the tourism industry and other cross-border businesses such as duty-free stores.” He said most US travelers are unfamiliar with ArriveCan and often have to meet the requirements at the border, which can lead to excessive processing and backups.

Rianas also told parliament that the technology discriminates against seniors who do not know computers and smartphones, preventing travel to the border community.

“The nature of this bilateral community is to be able to visit friends or family for dinner, a show, a wine tasting, a baseball game, shopping, a beach, etc. without much hassle and inconvenience. File with ArriveCan every now and then.” “People have no problem crossing the border on a journey of interest, as they have done for decades.”

Higgins said the slowdown in bridge traffic will affect US demand, including at Buffalo and Niagara Falls airports, pro-sports fairs and retailers. Trudy and President Biden have suggested that they address the issue privately, as any effort below their level has not been successful.

“We are not enemies,” he said.