Canadians forced to wait in quarantine hotels

Friday, December 10, 2021

Here’s what you need to know to get the day started:

Canadians forced to wait in quarantine hotels — even after negative test

Four Canadians who recently travelled home from South Africa say they were forced to stay in government-funded quarantine hotels for an extra 23 to 36 hours after receiving negative COVID-19 test results.

"It's a complete waste of tax money, and I think it's an embarrassing way to treat Canadians," said Simon Dragland. Dragland, a TV producer who was in Cape Town for work, flew home to Toronto on Dec. 5 and was sent to a quarantine hotel. He said he got his negative test result the next day but didn't hear from the federal government until 36 hours later, when an official finally approved his release.

"I left the hotel pretty angry at the entire process," he said. "The real frustration here is the complete lack of organization or communication."

After the new omicron variant was identified in South Africa late last month, Ottawa mandated that Canadian air passengers from 10 countries in Africa face stricter travel rules, including a COVID-19 test when they arrive. They also must spend part of a required 14-day quarantine in a government-designated hotel while awaiting the test results.

CBC News interviewed four Canadians who each said that after receiving their negative test results, they had to wait in their quarantine hotel for another day or two before they were officially released. The travellers all complained that the wait to be released was frustrating and a drain on taxpayer dollars, because Ottawa is footing the bill for the quarantine hotel stays.

A Public Health Agency of Canada spokesperson said the agency is trying to speed up the approval process. Tammy Jarbeau confirmed the government is paying for the hotel quarantine costs, including transportation and three meals daily for each guest. Jarbeau was not able to provide an estimate for the cost of the program in time for publication of this story.

Dr. Prabhat Jha, an epidemiologist from the University of Toronto, said he feels it's unfair to make hotel quarantine travellers endure a long wait before release. He also said it's unfair to force only Canadians travelling from 10 African countries to quarantine in a hotel, as the omicron variant has already spread across the globe. A more practical solution would be to allow all travellers to quarantine at a place of their choosing and ramp up COVID-19 testing, Jha said.

Meanwhile, Canada's auditor general released a report yesterday criticizing the federal government for failing to keep tabs on its previous hotel quarantine requirement, which was in place between Feb. 22 and July 4 for all recreational travellers entering Canada by air. Karen Hogan tabled a report that concluded PHAC only had records to verify hotel stays for about one-quarter of air travellers between February and June 2021.

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Lying in state

(Andrew Harnik/Reuters)

Former U.S. senator Elizabeth Dole cries on the casket of her husband, former senator Bob Dole, as he lies in state in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday. Read Dole's obituary here.

In brief

The B.C. floods have caused at least $450 million in damage, making it the most costly weather event in the province's history. And that's only the insured damages. The overall costs are expected to be much higher because many people affected by the flooding in southwestern B.C. were located in high-risk areas where flood insurance was not available, the Insurance Bureau of Canada said. "These disasters are also having an outsized impact on those most vulnerable and, as a result, we must greatly enhance our efforts to mitigate future climate change and to adapt to the new weather reality we face,'' said Aaron Sutherland, vice-president of the Pacific bureau. At the peak of the emergency, almost 15,000 people were forced from their homes. Read more about the costs here.

Toronto Raptors vice-chairman and president Masai Ujiri has tested positive for COVID-19.
He said yesterday he tested positive after his Giants of Africa non-profit organization held an in-person event on Sunday, in which some of the guests returned positive COVID tests. Ujiri said everyone who attended had to show proof of vaccination and to wear masks when not eating or drinking. He said he is double-vaccinated and has received a booster shot. "I am now at home, observing the safety protocols by self-isolating for 10 days, monitoring for symptoms and undergoing testing, and I encourage everyone who attended to please do the same," Ujiri said. "We don't want to live in fear of this virus, but COVID is a persistent enemy. Together, we'll defeat it." The Raptors cancelled their practice Thursday for precautionary reasons. They are scheduled to play on Friday. Read more about Ujiri here.

A freight truck carrying migrants has crashed in Mexico, killing at least 54 people. By early Friday, authorities said at least 54 others had been injured. It was one of the worst single-day death tolls for migrants in Mexico since the 2010 massacre of 72 migrants by a drug cartel. Rescue workers rushing to the highway accident found a horrific scene of death and injury after the truck, jammed with as many as 200 migrants, tipped over and crashed into the base of a steel pedestrian bridge in southern Mexico. Read more about the crash here.

The best meteor shower of the year is here. The Geminids, which happen every December, are "one of the best and most reliable annual meteor showers," according to NASA. Meteors, also known as shooting stars, appear as points of light that streak across the sky. They're caused by dust and small rocks passing into the atmosphere and burning up. You can see more than two per minute when the Geminids are peaking, which this year is most likely Monday night into Tuesday. Read tips on how best to see the Geminids here.

Now for some good news to start your Friday: She grew up playing with her dolls' hair, but now Lohifa Pogoson-Acker is designing the hair of some high-profile cats — the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who will play against Winnipeg Blue Bombers in this weekend's Grey Cup. She's only been doing hair full time for two years, but the 36-year-old Nigerian-Canadian has ringing endorsements from the Tiger-Cats, both for her hairstyling and her personality. Ticat running back Don Jackson, also known as hip-hop artist Don Jayy, called Pogoson-Acker "extremely talented." "She absolutely kills it — not just my hair, but most of our guys," he said, after getting a fresh style this week. Read more about Pogoson-Acker and see some of her work here.

FIRST PERSON

Watching Dune, I'm reminded of the young European explorers I envied — and resented — in my youth

Paul Atreides, the young protagonist portrayed by Timothée Chalamet, is royalty destined to continue the lofty legacy of his father by exploring the universe — a personification of all the things I felt I couldn't be, writes Diamond Yao. Read her first-person piece here.

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Drake's out. What now for the Grammys?

On Monday, as the Recording Academy began its final round of voting for the 2022 Grammy winners, people learned Drake was off the ballot.

Drake and his management had asked the Academy to pull his two nominations.

He still hasn't offered an explanation, but this is the latest in a series of tensions between Drake and the Grammys: He's questioned their relevance in his lyrics, defended The Weeknd after a snub and even criticized the Academy while accepting a trophy.

Today on Front Burner, music journalist and host of Marvin's Room A. Harmony joins us to explain why so many hip-hop artists are expressing frustration with the Grammys, and whether a show with limited recognition of Black talent can remain relevant.

Listen to today's episode

Today in history: December 10

1949: The Supreme Court of Canada becomes the country's final legal authority and court of highest appeal.

1954: The Canso Causeway is completed between mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. The transportation infrastructure atop the causeway is completed the following year.

1957: Liberal MP Lester Pearson receives the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. While serving as Canada's external affairs minister, he led efforts at the United Nations to set up an international peacekeeping force and end the attack by Israeli, British and French forces on Egypt.

2015: The first federal government airlift of Syrian civil war refugees lands in Toronto under the Liberals’ plan to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February 2016.