GOOD NEWS FROM CANADA: PRE-ENTRY COVID TESTS NO LONGER NEEDED (BUT WHEN IS AMTRAK RESUMING SERVICE TO VANCOUVER, BC?)

Vehicles in line at the Peace Arch Crossing into Canada at Blaine, WA

On April 1, 2022, the Government of Canada announced that fully vaccinated travelers will no longer need to provide a pre-entry COVID-19 test result to enter Canada by air, land or water,

But travelers arriving in Canada from any country, who qualify as fully vaccinated, may still need to take a COVID-19 molecular test on arrival if selected  for mandatory random testing. The good news is travelers selected are not required to quarantine while awaiting test results.

For partially or unvaccinated travelers who are currently allowed to travel to Canada, pre-entry testing requirements are NOT changing. Details may be found on the Government of Canada website. 

REMINDER: All travelers will continue to be required to submit their mandatory information to ArriveCan (free mobile app or website) before their arrival in Canada. Travelers who do not complete their ArriveCAN submission before arriving in Canada may have to test on arrival and quarantine for 14 days, regardless of their vaccination status. 

THE TRAIN! THE TRAIN!

My preferred way to travel to Vancouver, BC is via Amtrak Cascades. In fact the last time I traveled to Canada (pre-pandemic), I took the train from Everett to Vancouver. But when COVID-19 hit, the border between the US-Canada was closed. Which meant that Amtrak suspended service between the two countries. 

With Canada now opening its border, I'm more than ready to hear the cry, All Aboard! Not so fast, Sue, as the trains are not yet rolling. I contacted Amtrak Media Relations on March 31, 2022 with this email: 

Hello ~ Just checking in regarding the restoration of Amtrak Cascades service to Vancouver BC. If you have a locked-in date, I would like to be aboard the train from Everett, WA to Vancouver, BC. I was on the initial train to Vancouver when service was implemented in 1995, and have been aboard numerous times in the past quarter century -- sharing my journeys through words and photographs. I Look forward to returning to this wonderful train ride soon ~ I have missed my adventures in British Columbia! Thank You, Sue Frause

This was the response I received from the Amtrak PR Manager several days later: "There is not a return date at this time, but I will do my best to keep you updated." 

Until that time, I'll make sure my US passport is up to date (I'm good until 2026) and I'll fill out the mandatory information on the ArriveCAN site (details in the link above). Plus dig out my loonies and toonies from previous Canadian adventures. 

O Canada ~ I've missed you so!

Vancouver's Olympic Cauldron was lit for the 2010 Winter Games. It is now a permanent landmark on Jack Poole Plaza at the Vancouver Convention Centre. 

©SueFrausePhotos