New vaccine requirement for travelers departing from Canada and travelers on trains as well as employees in federally regulated transport sector will come into effect on October 30 at 3 a.m. This new requirement was previously announced by Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland on October 6 and was scheduled to be effective from October 30. Today, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced this new requirement live via Facebook at Toronto Pearson Airport. Click here for full video on Facebook.
New Vaccine Requirement For Travelers:
The new vaccination mandate starting October 30, will apply to all travelers 12 years of age and older who are:
- Air passengers flying on domestic, trans border or international flights departing from Canadian airports
- Rail passengers on VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains
- Marine passengers on non-essential passenger vessels, such as cruise ships, on voyages of 24 hours or more
There will be a short transition period for travelers currently in the process of being vaccinated. Such travelers will have to show a valid COVID-19 molecular test within 72 hours of travel. However, this short period will end on November 30. After Nov 30 only very limited unvaccinated exceptions will be allowed to address specific situations such as emergency travel, and those medically unable to be vaccinated.
This will not be applicable to incoming travelers.
For Employees In Federally Regulated Transport Sector:
Starting October 30, employers in the federally regulated transport sector (air, rail, and marine) will have to comply by establishing vaccination policies for their organizations. As per official update, vaccination requirement will apply to:
- airlines and airports, and other organizations who have employees who enter restricted areas of airports, such as concession and hospitality workers
- federally regulated railways, and their rail crew and track employees
- marine operators with Canadian vessels that operate with 12 or more crew
Providing further information, each organization will be required to have a policy in place, which must:
- Include a provision for employee attestation/declaration of their vaccination status;
- Include a description of consequences for employees who do not comply or who falsify information; and
- Meet standards consistent with the approach taken by the Government of Canada for the Core Public Administration.
