Oh, Will This Nightmare Never End? - A CBSA Story

[Fanboy]

So, we already had issues with our COVID tests in LA, as detailed in this post. Tl;dr: Forced to switch flights as the kids' Walgreen's test took 64 hours to process, necessitating a fitful night's rest in LAX.

Well, the story doesn't end there! Since arriving home we have been called six times now by Health Canada to verify our quarantining process. Each robocall has been accompanied by the warm reassurance that we face $5K/day in fines (up to a maximum of $750K) as well as six months in jail for violating the Quarantine Act. Oh, and we're already in violation for not having performed the Day 1 COVID test.

Uh, ok! All four of us are fully vaxxed - we wouldn't have travelled otherwise - and we filled in and submitted the ArriveCan app twice (once for the original and once for the rescheduled flight). We also met all of the Health Canada exemption qualifications. Apparently doing everything by the book isn't good enough, though. There must have been some part of the process that was overlooked, though I have no idea what it could be.

As all of these calls have been robocalls, we haven't had the chance to talk to anyone at Health Canada. A Google search reveals that some people have had the same issue and were told to ignore it, but also mentioned cops showing up to their house. Yeesh.

Ugh, this Disneyland trip is truly the gift that keeps on giving.

Anyone else experienced anything similar? Or does anyone even have an idea of what might have broken down in the process?

 

[ottawamom]

Sorry to hear you've gone through all this. One more reason I'm staying put until they (the powers that be) have figured out an easier seamless way across the border. Flying is stressful enough. I don't need all the Covid stuff on top of it.

 

[quandrea]

Sorry to hear you've gone through all this. One more reason I'm staying put until they (the powers that be) have figured out an easier seamless way across the border. Flying is stressful enough. I don't need all the Covid stuff on top of it.

So true!

 

[cdnSpinalTap]

Have you tried calling any of the numbers on the handouts they hopefully gave you?

 

[yowcruiser]

So, we already had issues with our COVID tests in LA, as detailed in this post. Tl;dr: Forced to switch flights as the kids' Walgreen's test took 64 hours to process, necessitating a fitful night's rest in LAX.

Well, the story doesn't end there! Since arriving home we have been called six times now by Health Canada to verify our quarantining process. Each robocall has been accompanied by the warm reassurance that we face $5K/day in fines (up to a maximum of $750K) as well as six months in jail for violating the Quarantine Act. Oh, and we're already in violation for not having performed the Day 1 COVID test.

Uh, ok! All four of us are fully vaxxed - we wouldn't have travelled otherwise - and we filled in and submitted the ArriveCan app twice (once for the original and once for the rescheduled flight). We also met all of the Health Canada exemption qualifications. Apparently doing everything by the book isn't good enough, though. There must have been some part of the process that was overlooked, though I have no idea what it could be.

As all of these calls have been robocalls, we haven't had the chance to talk to anyone at Health Canada. A Google search reveals that some people have had the same issue and were told to ignore it, but also mentioned cops showing up to their house. Yeesh.

Ugh, this Disneyland trip is truly the gift that keeps on giving.

Anyone else experienced anything similar? Or does anyone even have an idea of what might have broken down in the process?

There has been several reports of people receiving these calls, even though they qualify for the "quarantine exemption" - and it's nothing that someone has done or hasn't done. As has been reported in media, those calls can be ignored, unless you have been told by a border officer that you do not meet the requirement for the quarantine exemption

 

[torontominnie]

If it helps, on one of our trips they called and called and called me, despite having excepted me, until finally a person called. When I explained that it was an error they effectively said it couldn’t be and I asked them politely to check. They never called back and I didn’t hear anything further. The next day, they started calling for my son, who was not except but for whom they had previously done no follow up at all. I think they realized they flagged the wrong person and just never had the courtesy to confirm.

 

[bookbabe626]

The frequency, accuracy and demeanor of the testing and quarantine callers reminded me a lot of the ”do you need air duct cleaning” and “this is the legal department of Service Canada” callers and robocallers…

We got the calls after our last trip, and a few emails, related to day 8 testing which had been dropped by then. We were told to ignore them, which we did. That was about a month ago, and we have yet to be jailed or fined.

 

[Fanboy]

Thanks, bookbabe626!

Found an email addressed to my daughter in my Gmail account that actually had contact information attached.

From the email: If you believe you are exempt from testing and quarantine (e.g., an eligible fully vaccinated traveller), you may contact the Canada Border Services Agency at: contact@cbsa.gc.ca or 1-800-461-9999

Called the number and spoke to CBSA who said to ignore the calls. They also connected me to Health Canada in hopes that I could be removed from the call list. Health Canada said there is nothing they can do about the calls and that there is an issue with ArriveCan and most arriving Canadians are getting these calls and she reiterated that they can be ignored as long as we're double-vaxxed.

Got another call this morning along with an email telling me that I must symptom report and quarantine for 14 days. *shrug*

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

So, we already had issues with our COVID tests in LA, as detailed in this post. Tl;dr: Forced to switch flights as the kids' Walgreen's test took 64 hours to process, necessitating a fitful night's rest in LAX.

Well, the story doesn't end there! Since arriving home we have been called six times now by Health Canada to verify our quarantining process. Each robocall has been accompanied by the warm reassurance that we face $5K/day in fines (up to a maximum of $750K) as well as six months in jail for violating the Quarantine Act. Oh, and we're already in violation for not having performed the Day 1 COVID test.

Uh, ok! All four of us are fully vaxxed - we wouldn't have travelled otherwise - and we filled in and submitted the ArriveCan app twice (once for the original and once for the rescheduled flight). We also met all of the Health Canada exemption qualifications. Apparently doing everything by the book isn't good enough, though. There must have been some part of the process that was overlooked, though I have no idea what it could be.

As all of these calls have been robocalls, we haven't had the chance to talk to anyone at Health Canada. A Google search reveals that some people have had the same issue and were told to ignore it, but also mentioned cops showing up to their house. Yeesh.

Ugh, this Disneyland trip is truly the gift that keeps on giving.

Anyone else experienced anything similar? Or does anyone even have an idea of what might have broken down in the process?

We recently came back from LA and used the covid clinic there for testing, our test was back within 1 hr however we had to pay for it. I know there were free options but in Disneyland we just weren’t convinced as there weren’t as many reports from fellow travellers.
We were also exempt from quarantine and nobody called either of us, not even once.
However, they gave our fully vaccinated DS12 a take home test to do on day 8, which he didn’t actually have to do, we were later told to ignore it.
It is a bit annoying when not everyone that should know the rules does… but as long as you have done everything right and are exempt- just keep ignoring the calls.
When I called the covid travel info line, it does say these calls may occur on occasion and to ignore them if exempt. Meaning, I don’t think you did anything wrong.
Despite some hiccups, we are really happy and grateful that we got to travel this summer. It was worth it.

 

[Fanboy]

Still getting phone calls - some human, some robocalls - multiple times per day. I have spoken with the human callers and they all ask what the border security agent asked us. When I tell them that they asked for pre-flight tests and how much we spent, like in the good old days, I have received a "..." response. Looks like CBSA are the ones who dropped the ball and there should have been some checking on whether we were double vaxxed when passing the checkpoint.

Well, 14 days is up on Tuesday, so hopefully that will put this baby to bed.

Despite some hiccups, we are really happy and grateful that we got to travel this summer. It was worth it.

Honestly, this has put a damper on what should be such a great memory. One or two small "glitches" wouldn't be worth bothering about, but this has grown to 5-6 phone calls every day.

I guarantee you that we felt the same way up until arriving at LAX, when everything went downhill faster and steeper than the Incredicoaster.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Still getting phone calls - some human, some robocalls - multiple times per day. I have spoken with the human callers and they all ask what the border security agent asked us. When I tell them that they asked for pre-flight tests and how much we spent, like in the good old days, I have received a "..." response. Looks like CBSA are the ones who dropped the ball and there should have been some checking on whether we were double vaxxed when passing the checkpoint.

Well, 14 days is up on Tuesday, so hopefully that will put this baby to bed.



Honestly, this has put a damper on what should be such a great memory. One or two small "glitches" wouldn't be worth bothering about, but this has grown to 5-6 phone calls every day.

I guarantee you that we felt the same way up until arriving at LAX, when everything went downhill faster and steeper than the Incredicoaster.

Yeah I could see that if it’s several calls each day. That’s ridiculous.

 

[Fanboy]

Just a small update - yes, the nightmare did end. We received phone calls all the way up until the end of the "mandatory 14-day quarantine period". After that, it was like it never happened.

My wife pointed out that what we never did receive was any in-person follow up to our blatant disregard of quarantine. Sure, we did not have to do it per Health Canada, but as far as they were concerned we were in violation, not quarantining, not answering phone calls and not doing the mandatory testing. And not once did anyone official come by while we were, as far as they knew, acting like plague rats.

I don't know... I just wanted to provide an ending to this story and to shine a light on a different aspect of this whole fiasco.