While Alberta Premier Jason Kenney pressed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday on boosting travel and tourism in this country, including opening international borders, Niagara Region’s top doctor called for the US border to remain closed until the fall, as the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus spreads in the US.
The first face-to-face meeting between Kenney and Trudeau in months took place at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel in Calgary and covered a broad range of topics, not least tourism, with the prime minister saying that he realizes that Albertans are looking forward to the upcoming Calgary Stampede and are “feeling pretty good about things.”
Kenney told Trudeau, “It’s nice to be able to welcome you back to Alberta as we start to get some more domestic travel going… I do hope to talk to you about that, about how we can help the 800,000 workers in the travel and tourism industries get back to work.”
Jerrica Goodwin, a spokeswoman for the premier’s office, said Kenney wanted to discuss the re-opening of international borders, which have been closed due to COVID-19.
Niagara
At the same time, on other the other side of the country, the top doctor in Ontario’s Niagara Region says he wants the US-Canada border to stay closed until the fall despite local businesses and politicians calling for the opposite to support the area’s tourism-reliant economy.
Dr. Mustafa Hirji says the risk of reopening the border this summer is too great, especially with the more transmissible Delta variant spreading in parts of the America midwest.
He says he would recommend extending the border closure for another month and reassessing the situation in the fall so both countries have extra time to vaccinate more people.
His comments come as businesses and political leaders in the city of Niagara Falls call on Ottawa to reopen the border immediately now that COVID-19 trends are improving.
The group says many hospitality businesses in the city that shares a border with New York state earn much of their revenue in the summer months and are in danger of closing.
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati says border cities are in a dire situation and need an urgent reopening plan.
Mutual travel restrictions between Canada and the United States – which prohibit all discretionary travel between the two countries while continuing to allow the movement of trade, essential workers and international students – are due to expire July 21, though they have been postponed for an additional month on a monthly basis since the beginning of the pandemic,