Loosened travel rules still leave plenty of road blocks for cross-border couple in Sault

After nearly 16 months of rigid travel restrictions, Canada is finally starting to loosen the rules — but only for a specific few.

As of July 5, fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents will be able to skip the 14-day quarantine when entering the country.

It helps somewhat for cross-border couple Joyce McComiskey of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and Tony Kucharczyk of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., but there are still some grey areas that leave them with uncertainty and confusion.

The two began dating in March 2019. McComiskey says they didn't think anything of the fact that an international border separated them.

"Like many people in the twin Saults we just looked at it as a bit of an inconvenience to drive across the border and go through customs, but didn't really think that it would create any sort of special challenge in the future," she said.

The couple was just about to mark their one year anniversary in March 2020 when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Canadians who were traveling abroad to return home to the country.

"Funny to feel like I was abroad by being in Sault, Michigan; we live about 35 minutes apart under normal circumstances."

Since the pandemic started, McComiskey says she has flown to see her partner four times: in July and October 2020, and then again in February and June of this year.

"I just came back under the new rules on July 6. So I've been four times."

McComiskey says she flew to the US those four times because Canadians are still not able to drive across the border for non-essential travel. The Canada-US border is scheduled to open to non-essential travel July 21.

She calls her entire travel process 'intense' just so she can be with her partner. First McComiskey would fly from northern Ontario to Toronto, where she would then stay overnight. That's because she needed to have a negative COVID-19 test before she could fly into the US. Her partner would then pick her up at the airport in Detroit, just to save her another flight to Sault, Michigan.

"It's two days and somewhere in the ballpark of $1,500, depending on what I can get a flight for, to go 35 minutes from home," she said.

Skipping 14-day quarantine helps with planning

Under the new loosened travel rules in Canada, McComiskey says she can skip the 14 day quarantine once returning from the US. 

"The only difference is for me, it doesn't help Tony at all," she said. Once she arrived back in Canada this last time she only needed a negative COVID-19 test before she was free to go on her way.

"As a fully vaccinated Canadian following the rules … now I don't have to quarantine. That's a big deal from a planning perspective," she said.

Meanwhile, she says her partner has an extended exemption and can drive across the border to Sault, Ontario. 

"But he would have to commit to a 15 day [stay] minimum, even though he doesn't have to quarantine, because he is not a Canadian citizen, he still has to commit to coming to Canada for two weeks and a day," she said.

"I don't understand the rationale behind it. It obviously makes it impossible for a lot of people to come."

Any positive step we are celebrating, as people in these situations with cross-border relationships.- Joyce McComiskey of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

"It helps returning Canadians, which is awesome. Any positive step we are celebrating as people in these situations with cross-border relationships, but I guess I don't understand logically, why the rules would be different for him coming in than me," 

For McComiskey the next logical step should be that anyone who is fully vaccinated — who is eligible — to come into Canada, should be able to follow the testing rules and not have to stay in quarantine for 14 days.

"I don't need to go to the States to go to the Great Wolf Lodge. I don't need to go shopping. I just want to be able to be with my family."