When do you think the border will reopen?

[FigmentSpark]

I have fond memories, from my misspent youth back in the late 1970s, of going with my friends on a one hour drive from Lethbridge, Alberta to the border community of Sweet Grass, Montana for "Canada Days", when every bar in Sweet Grass sold beer to Canadians for $1 Canadian a can.

Lol - was that when the CAD was actually worth more than the USD? There was a short time in there when Americans, particularly border towns, were more than happy to take your CAD$1 at face value.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

I really do feel bad for the border towns. So many of them are struggling so badly due to the loss of Canadian shoppers. Though admittedly, not bad enough to open the borders.

On the flip side, I've heard some of the stores on the Canadian side are happy the residents are forced to shop here, and not cross so easily to buy in the USA. Their sales are up.
But many tourist resort areas in these small communities rely on Americans, so while some businesses are experiencing gains, others are experiencing devastating losses.

 

[mshanson3121]

On the flip side, I've heard some of the stores on the Canadian side are happy the residents are forced to shop here, and not cross so easily to buy in the USA. Their sales are up.
But many tourist resort areas in these small communities rely on Americans, so while some businesses are experiencing gains, others are experiencing devastating losses.

I think the loss due to Americans is pretty limited to a few specific areas/places. On average, Canada gets about 13 million American tourists a year but they get 20 million of us. Also, on average, Canadians take 200+ million trips within their own country each year. So, there shouldn't be too much of a loss because of the lack of Americans, since Canadians are travelling at home instead. I know in Atlantic Canada, all those small resort areas, that are right on the border, business is booming despite the lack of Americans since the bubble opened up. Now, I've heard some of the fishing/hunting operations are hurting in Ontario because they rely primarily on Americans, but that's pretty much the extent of what I've heard - as far as due to lack of Americans. The industry is hurting overall however because even Canadians can't travel across their own country for the most part. So each province, except for the Atlantic bubble, is requiring primarily on it's own province to support itself. And of course, outside of Atlantic Canada, where numbers have been very low, I think a lot of people still don't feel that safe yet, as far as travel goes.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

I think the loss due to Americans is pretty limited to a few specific areas/places. On average, Canada gets about 13 million American tourists a year but they get 20 million of us. Also, on average, Canadians take 200+ million trips within their own country each year. So, there shouldn't be too much of a loss because of the lack of Americans, since Canadians are travelling at home instead. I know in Atlantic Canada, all those small resort areas, that are right on the border, business is booming despite the lack of Americans since the bubble opened up. Now, I've heard some of the fishing/hunting operations are hurting in Ontario because they rely primarily on Americans, but that's pretty much the extent of what I've heard - as far as due to lack of Americans. The industry is hurting overall however because even Canadians can't travel across their own country for the most part. So each province, except for the Atlantic bubble, is requiring primarily on it's own province to support itself. And of course, outside of Atlantic Canada, where numbers have been very low, I think a lot of people still don't feel that safe yet, as far as travel goes.

Yes, we;re in prime fishing/hunting lodge territory. The drive to resorts aren't doing as bad, they've been able to rent out cabins to locals easier. It's the fly and boat in ones that are hurting. Costs a lot more to run, and locals aren't going to pay the big bucks to fly somewhere to catch the big one when they either have their own boat or camp, or their friend or relative does.

We'll pay the big bucks for our kids eat a chicken finger at a disney buffet, because that's our big family trip, but most likely the locals in Florida don't do that every disney visit. Just like we're not going to pay the big bucks here to catch a fish, which we can do anytime.

The border closure doesn't affect us too much personally, but I know there are many people it's hurting financially and emotionally for a variety of reasons.

 

[mshanson3121]

Yes, we;re in prime fishing/hunting lodge territory. The drive to resorts aren't doing as bad, they've been able to rent out cabins to locals easier. It's the fly and boat in ones that are hurting. Costs a lot more to run, and locals aren't going to pay the big bucks to fly somewhere to catch the big one when they either have their own boat or camp, or their friend or relative does.

We'll pay the big bucks for our kids eat a chicken finger at a disney buffet, because that's our big family trip, but most likely the locals in Florida don't do that every disney visit. Just like we're not going to pay the big bucks here to catch a fish, which we can do anytime.

The border closure doesn't affect us too much personally, but I know there are many people it's hurting financially and emotionally for a variety of reasons.

I feel so bad for families that have been separated. A friend of mine is a twin. Her sister lives in ME - she hasn't been able to see her since March. So many other stories like that.

 

[pigletto]

I think the loss due to Americans is pretty limited to a few specific areas/places. On average, Canada gets about 13 million American tourists a year but they get 20 million of us. Also, on average, Canadians take 200+ million trips within their own country each year. So, there shouldn't be too much of a loss because of the lack of Americans, since Canadians are travelling at home instead. I know in Atlantic Canada, all those small resort areas, that are right on the border, business is booming despite the lack of Americans since the bubble opened up. Now, I've heard some of the fishing/hunting operations are hurting in Ontario because they rely primarily on Americans, but that's pretty much the extent of what I've heard - as far as due to lack of Americans. The industry is hurting overall however because even Canadians can't travel across their own country for the most part. So each province, except for the Atlantic bubble, is requiring primarily on it's own province to support itself. And of course, outside of Atlantic Canada, where numbers have been very low, I think a lot of people still don't feel that safe yet, as far as travel goes.

I live in one of those specific areas and it’s devastating to our local economy. It’s not just the Americans, but they are a huge source of tourism revenue. Add in just about every other country that is too nervous to travel right now, and the losses are significant. It’s not unusual to have houselholds in this community where both parents worked in hotels or casinos. At least one of them would have typically been laid off every winter as it was. Now that CERB has run out I don’t know what they will do. We had a very high unemployment rate in Niagara as it was ( highest in the province a few years back ) . It’s too soon to see the real numbers but I imagine in a few months the impact will become evident around here .

 

[mshanson3121]

Now that CERB has run out I don’t know what they will do.

It will be interesting to see what they're going to do this winter re: EI. Will they allow it with less hours? Will the banks allow to defer mortgage payments again?

 

[hdrolfe]

INow that CERB has run out I don’t know what they will do. We had a very high unemployment rate in Niagara as it was ( highest in the province a few years back ) . It’s too soon to see the real numbers but I imagine in a few months the impact will become evident around here .

CERB was extended into October though, wasn't it? So perhaps it will be extended again.

 

[tinkerone]

Now that CERB has run out I don’t know what they will do.

I thought CERB had been extended to October with talks of it possibly going into 2021? I could be wrong though.

 

[pigletto]

I thought CERB had been extended to October with talks of it possibly going into 2021? I could be wrong though.

CERB is ending and transitioning to EI for those who qualify . The reality of CERB is that it was a good and very necessary fix for the families I was referencing but it wouldn‘t cover all the income that these people lost.
I do know the EI is based on hours worked so I can’t imagine most of those in the tourism sector will have worked enough hours to qualify this year. Hopefully there is some allowance for this years special circumstance.
The businesses and workers in this region have been hit hard and I’m thinking recovery will be slow.

 

[wdwmom3]

CERB is ending and transitioning to EI for those who qualify . The reality of CERB is that it was a good and very necessary fix for the families I was referencing but it wouldn‘t cover all the income that these people lost.
I do know the EI is based on hours worked so I can’t imagine most of those in the tourism sector will have worked enough hours to qualify this year. Hopefully there is some allowance for this years special circumstance.
The businesses and workers in this region have been hit hard and I’m thinking recovery will be slow.

I could be wrong but I think for transitioning to ei it will be based on hours before the pandemic. So if in March you would have qualified when your job ended, then you would qualify now.

 

[hdrolfe]

I could be wrong but I think for transitioning to ei it will be based on hours before the pandemic. So if in March you would have qualified when your job ended, then you would qualify now.

This was my understanding, CERB was basically a stop gap and at the end you go back to whatever EI you would have qualified for.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

Let's not forget that we have had to pay much less for utilities since it's summer (no heat bills, less lights on). For those going on EI or those who don't qualify, the coming cooler months will have a drastic impact on day-to-day bills.

 

[tinkerone]

So a quick look, CERB is not ending till October. Last payment will be Sept 26th which is a payment up until October 3rd. It has been a double edged sword for many. My granddaughter who just finished school was working a part time job that did not pay her near that so for her it was a bonus. She is now back to work. For my son, he was laid in a downsize due to covid but CERB was less than he would have received on UI. He to is now back to work.
One gained, one lost BUT I believe they were both taken care of to the best of the governments ability. Transitioning, when the time comes, looks like it will be pretty painless. At least we can hope so.

https://globalnews.ca/news/7239834/cerb-recipient-move-ei/

 

[wdwmom3]

Border closure extended until September

 

[pigletto]

So a quick look, CERB is not ending till October. Last payment will be Sept 26th which is a payment up until October 3rd. It has been a double edged sword for many. My granddaughter who just finished school was working a part time job that did not pay her near that so for her it was a bonus. She is now back to work. For my son, he was laid in a downsize due to covid but CERB was less than he would have received on UI. He to is now back to work.
One gained, one lost BUT I believe they were both taken care of to the best of the governments ability. Transitioning, when the time comes, looks like it will be pretty painless. At least we can hope so.

https://globalnews.ca/news/7239834/cerb-recipient-move-ei/

If you collected CERB from the first month it was offered you received your last payment this month. You were eligible for 6 payments. So September is for those who didn’t claim in March.

Again, I’m not complaining about the programs that were put in place. I think they were both necessary and beneficial to our communities. I was just pointing out that for a large number of employees and businesses in my region, they will still struggle with the border shut down and it will have a harsh impact in Niagara where we rely so heavily on tourism.

The border needs to stay closed for our health and safety. It’s just going to have harsh economic consequences for Canadians , especially in this community. We’ve built our economy on tourism here Restaurants , tourist attractions, hotels, casinos, weddings, wineries, B&B’s, bike tours, bus tours .... there is a major impact here. EI and CERB can not and will not come close to mitigating that impact. I blame nobody. It’s just an economic reality that can’t be ignored.

Unsurprisingly it was just announced we are keeping the borders closed another thirty days. I don’t see them opening this year .

 

[samsteele]

EI is also not available for self-employed small business people.

The break on time of use electricity during the pandemic was only provided to private residences and not given to small businesses eg restaurants, motels, gas stations, etc.

 

[CJK]

While keeping the border closed is likely the right thing to do, I still feel like I'm in mourning. That probably sounds overly dramatic! Like, I'm in mourning for what 'once was'. Does that make sense? Remember when we didn't give a second thought to going to the grocery store, going out to dinner, visiting family/friends or crossing the border to our southern neighbours? We've cancelled 2 Disney trips and 1 non-Disney trip. My job is travel related, so I'm basically at a standstill. Come September, we usually start looking at sunny destinations to give us a break from winter, yet here we are. Everyday I try to be grateful for our health, dh's stable job, and our family and friends. Still, I can't help but feel that sense of mourning. Today's border announcement is far from unexpected, but it just adds another drop of sadness to the whole dang situation.

 

[Kaadk]

I'm kind of worried about the end of CERB. I fear what we're going to see is people going back because there's no option, whether they should be working or not. And that's going to lead to more cases like this:

https://windsor.ctvnews.ca/employee...hile-infectious-with-covid-19-wechu-1.5046892

Mind you, in that case it's stated the employee didn't know they were infected, but still, how long until people who are infected show up to work anyways, because their CERB has run out and they have no other recourse? I know what I'd rather see done with CERB, but I won't get into them here to try keep the politics side of this conversation out of it. Needless to say though, I do worry about the result of ending it.

And for the record, we haven't used CERB at all. I'm fortunate enough to work remote the majority of the time anyways, working out of the house unless I needed to be onsite with a client, so I've been working right through, and my wife's work was deemed essential so she wasn't on it either. So, my thoughts aren't about any kind of personal gain, I'm solely worried about public safety.

 

[tlcdoula]

While keeping the border closed is likely the right thing to do, I still feel like I'm in mourning. That probably sounds overly dramatic! Like, I'm in mourning for what 'once was'. Does that make sense? Remember when we didn't give a second thought to going to the grocery store, going out to dinner, visiting family/friends or crossing the border to our southern neighbours? We've cancelled 2 Disney trips and 1 non-Disney trip. My job is travel related, so I'm basically at a standstill. Come September, we usually start looking at sunny destinations to give us a break from winter, yet here we are. Everyday I try to be grateful for our health, dh's stable job, and our family and friends. Still, I can't help but feel that sense of mourning. Today's border announcement is far from unexpected, but it just adds another drop of sadness to the whole dang situation.

This is exactly how I feel, so you are not alone. I work a second job to pay for our trips and those long days are really hard now that I have no count down to look forward too . We usually travel to Disney at least once a year and to Mexico once or twice depending on the year. Our family and friends are all healthy and that is what is important but it is still hard.

We have not been doing much a few day trips etc but I sure do miss being able to just jump in the car and go.