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Can You Report Americans Crossing The Canadian Border To Travel?

U.S. and Canadian flags fly atop the Peace Arch at the Canada-U.S. border on May 17, 2020. 
U.S. and Canadian flags fly atop the Peace Arch at the Canada-U.S. border on May 17, 2020.

If you spot an American tourist in Canada, what should you do?

Since border restrictions between us and our southern neighbours were implemented at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Canadians have been cagey about the prospect of people bringing COVID-19 from the U.S. into Canada.

While COVID-19 case rates have decreased dramatically north of the border, cases continue to skyrocket in the U.S., with over 62,000 new cases confirmed there on July 8 alone, for a total of over 3.1 million infections and 134,000 deaths.

Canadian border agents turned away 7,639 tourists from the U.S. between March 22 and June 16. But some people are still getting through who shouldn’t be.

WATCH: Canada flattens the curve amid U.S. spike. Story continues below.

The RCMP have issued $1,200 tickets to Americans caught using the “Alaska loophole,” where the visitors declare they’re going to Alaska but stop for an extended period of time in Alberta or B.C. along the way, something not permitted under the current border restrictions.

“Do not pass go. Go directly to Alaska,” B.C. Premier John Horgan said last week during a news conference.

But it extends beyond the “Alaska loophole,” too. Last week, two Americans in Ontario were fined $1,000 each for not observing the mandatory 14-day quarantine upon entering Canada.

The prospect of Americans coming across the border and not quarantining is concerning for many Canadians. But does that mean you should report everyone you suspect to be a rogue U.S. tourist in your neighbourhood?

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Not necessarily. According to the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), there are many...

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