IN PHOTOS Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Test requirements for travellers vaccinated against COVID-19 at the Canadian border need to be re-examined, particularly for short trips, says the country's top doctor.
On Friday the Canadian Border Services Agency reiterated the testing requirements for vaccinated travellers entering Canada in advance of the border with the United States reopening next week.
But that policy is being "actively looked at," said chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam.
"Just to reassure everybody … we are looking at that quite carefully," she told a briefing Friday.
No changes will be made before Monday when the United States reopens its land border to vaccinated Canadians however, according to a spokesman for the federal health minister.
Currently, anyone crossing into Canada needs to provide a recent molecular test that shows a negative result for COVID-19.
At a cost of $150 to $300 per test, that can be a pricey proposition, particularly for families.
Critics have been especially frustrated with the policy for short trips across the U.S. border, which allows travellers to get tested in Canada before spending up to 72 hours in U.S. and then presenting their negative Canadian test to re-enter the country.
"I'm not sure I understand the rationale for testing travellers who are going to the U.S. for a very short trip," said Dr. Irfan Dhalla, co-chair of a federal advisory panel on COVID-19 testing and screening.
"Even if we were going to require tests from these travellers, a test taken in Canada, before the trip even starts, would not be helpful."
If the concern is that the traveller might become infected in the United States, it would make more sense to take a test a few days after returning to Canada, given the incubation period of the virus, he said.
The policy was initially intended to reduce transmission on either side of the border, and save people in border communities from having to take a test in the U.S. during a short jaunt, according to Tam.
"But I do think that all this needs to be re-examined, as we are doing with all of the border measures moving ahead," she said.
The COVID-19 border measures are governed by an order-in-council that is set to expire on Nov. 21, so Canadian officials will need to decide whether to renew, change or do away with them altogether.
The office of Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said in a statement that as the COVID-19 situation and international travel requirements remain fluid, officials and experts will continue to evaluate the measures in place and make necessary adjustments as required.
A roundtable of tourism and travel advocates panned the test requirements for cross-border travel, and said the policy for short trips "makes no sense."
"What would that tell you about what the individual had done while they were away and whether or not they posed a threat?" pondered Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, who spoke on behalf of the roundtable Thursday.
"It would simply drive up costs for people travelling without providing any added security at all for Canadians."
Some public health experts have defended the policy, though they acknowledge a test done in Canada won't tell border officials anything about what they were exposed to a day or two later.
"You do not want them to come to a Canadian border and potentially expose important front-line staff," said Susan Bondy, associate professor with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.
The test also makes for better consistency at the border without forcing Canadians to get tested in the United States during their short visit, said Dr. Kwame McKenzie, CEO of the Wellesley Institute, who also served on the federal government's testing advisory panel.
"It seems crazy," he acknowledged, "but they're trying to line up the fact that you need to test to get into Canada … It's not as crazy as it seems."
As for the test requirements for vaccinated travellers in general, McKenzie said Canada's safety standards for travellers are higher than some other countries.
"That is a reason why Canada has one of the lower infection rates and death rates per million population," he said.
There is no doubt that the tests do prevent some COVID-19-positive people from crossing the border, but the question is how many.
Deputy public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo said even some of those who have entered Canada under the current rules have tested positive after crossing into the country. The latest figures from public health show that applies to about 0.18 per cent of vaccinated travellers.
"It may seem like a very low percentage, but if the number of travellers coming back into Canada increases, the absolute number of travellers who are coming in and who are infected with COVID-19 could end up being a significant number," he said.
It's difficult to know how many people have had to cancel their plans because they've tested positive because there is no way to track them.
Tam warned that though the fourth wave is bending in the right direction, Canada is still vulnerable to another surge.
At the end of the day, it comes down to risk tolerance, said Bondy, and how much risk reduction Canadians feel is necessary.
"That's the nature of public health, is to wrestle with those thorny issues," she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2021.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
The Netherlands' contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was dramatically expelled from competition hours before Saturday's final of the pan-continental pop competition, which has been rattled by protests over the participation of Israel.
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.