HUNTING
Canada’s Border is Closed to American Hunters Due to COVID-19 (and It Could Cost Many Outfitters Their Livelihood)
The border is expected to stay closed until July 21, but it could be longer
Joe Genzel
By Joe Genzel
July 10, 2020
American hunters on horseback through the Yukon
There likely won’t be any trips in the Yukon like this one for American hunters in 2020.Sloane Brown/YETI
For many of us here in the U.S., an annual hunting or fishing trip to Canada is a longstanding tradition. And Canadians, particularly those in the more remote western provinces, depend on American tourism dollars to bolster local economies. But the U.S.-Canada border has been closed since March and will remain so until at least July 21. There is also a 14-day quarantine rule in place that will stay in effect until Aug. 31. That means anyone who does come into the country must self-isolate for two weeks. In most cases, Canadian citizens are also not permitted to drive or fly from province-to-province without quarantine.
A recent poll showed 81 percent of Canadians don’t want the border to open to Americans, mainly due to the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 surges in the U.S. That’s bad news for outfitters in Canada. Of course, the safety of both countries takes precedence over the financial hit the hunting and fishing industry will endure. But an unfortunate outcome of the pandemic is that some guiding businesses won’t make it through.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but when the U.S. is seeing spikes in positive COVID-19 tests (though deaths have tapered), it’s difficult for Canada to open its border and safely allow Americans into the country, though it is possible once the U.S. makes it through this second surge. Iceland has broken through as a shining example, hosting international travelers since June by using a rigorous testing program, saving its tourism industry from financial peril. There have been pleas made by Canadian Travel and Tourism, which generates $74 billion and employs 1.8 million people, to allow healthy Americans into Canada, as U.S. citizens make up two-thirds of international tourists in Canada. But so far Prime Minster Justin Trudeau hasn’t budged.
There is no public plan or procedure in place for opening the border, only a projected date that keeps getting moved back, which has been a serious frustration for outfitters. It has left them in limbo, unsure if their outfits will continue to tread water with pre-COIVID profits, or ultimately drown. Alberta’s Professional Outfitters Society reported guides in the province have lost $68 million in revenue since the pandemic began in March. Two thousand people are also jobless due to the lack of clients.
To find out how outfitters across Canada are coping with the border closure, I talked to four Canadian guides. We wanted to know how they are navigating these strange and difficult times, and if they expect their businesses to survive the pandemic.
More at-
https://www.outdoorlife.com/story/hu...e-to-covid-19/
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