Canadian Border Towns Brace for B.C. Travel Restrictions

Communities on both sides of the Alberta-British Columbia border are bracing for travel restrictions that the B.C. government says will be coming Friday.

At a news conference Monday, B.C. Premier John Horgan announced that travel restrictions are in the works that are expected to be in place through the Victoria Day weekend in May.

Horgan said his government has been working with the tourism industry to reject bookings from people travelling outside their local areas, and that orders are in the works to stop people from leaving their health authority's region for non-essential reasons.

He said there will be random audits of travellers, and that BC Ferries will stop taking recreational vehicle bookings.

There's a plan to post signs along the Alberta-B.C. border, reminding travellers that they should only be entering B.C. for essential reasons, an addition that will be a bit strange to see, said Grande Prairie Coun. Dylan Bressey.

He said he hopes the restrictions make allowance for people who cross the border to work, for outdoor recreation, and for B.C. residents who travel to Grande Prairie to shop for essentials because it's the largest centre in the region.

Across the border in Dawson Creek, B.C., Mayor Dale Bumstead echoed the concern for balancing the economic impact against the threat of COVID-19. Bumstead said that as of Monday, his community in northern B.C. had the highest rate of COVID-19 per 100,000.

He said essential workers in the energy, agriculture, and forestry sectors moving between the two provinces keep the border busy, but that he understands the need to put a stop to non-essential travel through the corridor.