I don't think most of what they've been doing has been about logic. Politicians will be politicians, pandemic or not.

No, if they want surveillance for new variants they should have sample collection across an equal subset of travelers arriving from various countries and that's all. No quarantine or waiting on results BS.

We didn't get chosen - and I must admit the Canadian border experience was one of the smoothest I've ever experienced.

Flying into YTZ, no random testing?
 

Planning a trip to Toronto and really want to avoid any possibility of being caught up in this new testing clownshow. If flying Porter from one of the US destinations into YTZ, I am assuming that this will avoid the possibility of being selected for testing? All reports mention the 4 major Canadian gateways, with Pearson specifically for Toronto.

That's correct as of now. YTZ is excluded from arrival testing.

Out of curiosity, how long are you in a Canada for? Wonder if they base their “random” selection on length of time in the country.

Fair, but I guess the problem is that if you had gotten chosen you probably would not be saying it was a smooth experience. And there in lies the challenge/concern with "random" testing.

Regards

Very true!

We are here about three weeks.

Does anyone have recent experiences on random tests crossing the border at Niagara / Rainbow Bridge?

I will visit Canada mid september, and Niagara Falls will be one of my first attractions to visit after entering Canada via YYZ. Unfortunately, it's too late to change my flights to avoid the 4 airports where the random testing is still going on, as I'm flying on an award AC ticket booked a long time ago.

Particularly because I'm also a collector of Hard Rock Cafe items, I'm thinking about crossing the Rainbow Bridge to visit the HRC on the US side of the falls. Would return the same day, maybe even within 1 to 2 hours. However, I don't think this (length of stay in the US) matters for (not) being selected for a random test. But would I be sent to test even if I was already selected at YYZ with the result not even known by the time I'd re-enter Canada via Rainbow Bridge?

No random tests outside of YYZ/YUL/YYC and YVR. No land borders have random tests.

But if that were true, they could just also make the testing anonymous… What’s insane is that they continue to enforce more punitive restrictions on those that enter the country testing positive versus those that acquire the virus in Canada.

If they really just want to know what new variants might exist they could easily bring back in airport testing but just have staff swabbing random people as they exit, don’t take names or numbers.

I don't think this is true, is it? The travel requirements still list random testing at land borders, which never stopped.

https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/tr...ntering-canada

When do the current travel rules run until? End of September?

I'm confused. I thought there have been no changes at all at land borders, so the tests there were still going on even during the time they've been paused at the airports. Did I miss something?

AFAIK that's what they're saying now. But I wouldn't bet on the rules to be lifted as from october. I can imagine quite the contrary, that the rules will get tougher as fall approaches and infections probably rising.

yah. Clearly has become a make work project foe the feds and province. Too many jobs rely on all the covid theatre.

I’m due to arrive in Toronto on a Friday afternoon after 4pm. I don’t drive. If selected, I’m not wasting my time trying to find transportation to a LifeLab location to get a test that even they don’t know how to process.

I just had another thought about this. They say the purpose is to monitor for new variants… However, I had also read that one of the acceptable types of tests for random arrival testing is the type of self test that is monitored by video by a nurse or whoever on an app?

In this case doesn’t the test get thrown out and not further analyzed for a particular variant?

Repercussions for ignoring email because it went to spam
 

What are the repercussions for ignoring the email and saying that it went to spam if anyone asks?

How much are the fines exactly?

I'm pretty sure it is up to 5'000CAD

I drove from Toronto to Buffalo to void the required test. Once you leave the country it is no longer required as you can no longer spread any virus to Canadians and you cannot feasibly take the test anywhere. I got gas in USA (with a time stamped receipt) and re-entered on a new arrivecan. There are no random tests for land entries. From now on I will always put in my arrivecan that I am entering either by land or at YTZ to avoid being randomly selected. I’ll just say my original flight to BUF/YTZ got cancelled and the airline flew me instead to YYZ.

PCR at YUL for Random Testing Selection?
 

Does anyone have experience being chosen for random testing at YUL? I was reading that the testing partner Biron wants you to do a PCR nasopharyngeal swab test at the airport if chosen randomly. There does not seem to be the option to do a virtual self-test at the bottom of the nostril like the what is offered in BC by their testing partner. This is according to what I read on Biron’s website: https://www.biron.com/en/laboratory/...ravel/arrival/

There’s no way in hell I’m having a painful nasopharyngeal swab when I am fully vaccinated, boosted, and healthy without any covid symptoms whatsoever.

If anyone can share their personal experiences of how this was handled at YUL since random testing was reinstated, that would be appreciated. Thanks.

It's a PCR so they can check for variants. It's not an antigen self test

For provinces that are allowing the random testing to be done virtually through home test kits, how do you do a PCR test to yourself? I was looking at the instructions for the Vancouver testing provider and they say to insert the swab 1 cm. That can’t be PCR. The whole thing is a mess.

You swab yourself on video then package it up then the company collects it to test it. That's PCR - in the UK I've done many home PCR tests like that, that then get sent to the lab.

Sadly, this isn’t true.

We just arrived in Ontario a few hours ago via Peace Bridge (via Buffalo). Our daughter got randomly selected (yes, we used Peace Bridge as arrival port in the ArriveCAN app). Border agent handed us a kit and let us know she needs to test and mail in. We leave Wednesday and won’t mail it until tomorrow (Tuesday). Oh well.

If one were to test positive, what prevents you from driving back home to the US?

I got nailed for random testing after getting back on Tuesday (e-mail, no ArriveCAN notification, despite what someone posted upthread). Requested online test. Apparently Purolator tried to deliver on Thursday, of which I got no notification. Yesterday afternoon, I got an e-mail saying I had a package to pick up. Of course, the place is only open business hours Monday-Friday, and since I didn't have time to pick it up in the brief window before they closed on Friday afternoon, I wouldn't be able to collect the kit until Monday.

I got the phone call this morning checking up on me. When I selected that I hadn't done the test yet, it offered me several options for why:

1. Problems with the testing provider
2. [Something else, I forget what]
3. Decided not to do the test
4. Have proof of positive molecular test in previous 10-180 days

Now, I was going to be a good citizen and do the test and hit option 1, but if I'm exempt, as is implied by option 4, I'm not going to bother.

I don't see anything on the mandatory testing page about an exemption for those who've recently had COVID and recovered. Anyone know anything about that? If there's no exemption, I'll just do the test so they don't hassle me.

https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/tr...canada#arrival

Cool, thanks! I missed it on that page, was focused on the one specifically on the testing.

And it’s nice to see they’re sticking to the whole “the test needs to be completed by the end of the next day” message. You got nailed on Tuesday which means you should have completed the test by Wednesday 23:59 but you didn’t get the package alert until Friday but won’t be able to pick it up until Monday. You do the test on Monday, mail it off and then possibly don’t get the results for four days which takes you to Friday. By which time, if you’re positive, you’ve potentially infected tens if not hundreds of people.

But hey, they’re protecting Canadian citizens, eh?

I got nailed on Monday at YYC. I’ve been ignoring their calls and will continue to do so. Eventually, they’ll give up.

I’ve ignored many blue boxes over the past 18 months and still no one ever says anything when I enter Canada.

I'm just curious if that strategy (of ignoring the tests) still works since the tests resumed on July, 19. Now you're notified by e-mail, that means they exactly know who's been selected. As far as I understood, earlier you were selected at the airport with a pink sticker. I assume that by then it's been easier to pretend you weren't to be tested at all when they finally called you.

I also don't know if you are a citizen / resident of Canada. I ain't, and the last thing I want is to get in trouble leaving or re-entering the country for not obeying the random test. Althought I know you could get a hefty fine, I have not heard of someone who really got one. Anyone here has?

But there's no immigration check on exiting Canada -- who's going to stop you?

All departing flights file a passenger manifest along with their travel documents.

so what. Customs are so understaffed that covid test dodgers ARE hopefully a very very very very low priority.

So according to this would the strategy for those that have proof of a positive molecular test who are randomly selected to ignore and then wait and choose option 4 on the phone call? As I think there is still no way to show proof proactively?