Fines worth at least $15 million have been handed out to Canadians who failed to follow COVID-19 quarantine rules in 2022, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada, but it’s unclear what proportion of this sum will actually be paid.
These figures were provided to the House of Commons this fall at the request of Conservative MP Eric Duncan. The latter did not respond to an interview request from The Canadian Press.
Over the past year, health rules put in place to control the spread of COVID-19 have been lifted across the country. Until October, however, travelers had to follow rules regarding testing and quarantine, depending on their vaccination status, in addition to uploading their information to the ArriveCan app.
The rules have evolved over the year as public health officials have adapted to changing levels of COVID-19 cases. The restrictions have also frustrated some travelers and the tourism industry, which has noted a negative effect on the economy.
Data from the Public Health Agency of Canada includes British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces. They do not include information from Saskatchewan, Alberta or the territories, because these jurisdictions have not passed the necessary legislation for the fines to be imposed. Quebec, where fines are imposed by provincial prosecutors, is also excluded.
Between January and August, 3,614 fines were handed out under the federal quarantine law, which Ottawa used to institute border measures.
These fines totaled $14.8 million, the amounts varying, depending on the offence, from $825 to $5,000. A single ticket can sometimes include several offences.
More in Ontario
Ontario is the province with the most fines, among those for which data was available. Ontario is not only the largest province in terms of population, but it is also home to the busiest airport in the country and the busiest land border crossing with the United States. A total of 2,672 tickets were issued in this province during the period from January to August.
In comparison, 709 were returned in British Columbia and 210 in Manitoba. No one was targeted in Newfoundland and Labrador or Prince Edward Island, while 21 fines were imposed in New Brunswick and two in Nova Scotia.
This data, however, relates only to this eight-month period and the federal agency says that more tickets were given in September. She notes, however, that the police are not required to report their law enforcement activities, so the data may be incomplete.
No checks
The agency’s website shows nearly 19,000 fines have been issued for federal quarantine violations since COVID-19 hit in 2020.
But the Public Health Agency of Canada does not verify whether these fines are actually paid.
“Once issued, ticket payments and disputes are processed through the provincial court systems of the relevant jurisdictions,” Health Canada spokesperson Tammy Jarbeau said in a written statement.
The Ontario government was unable to provide statistics immediately, but very few tickets issued in British Columbia have been paid.
For 765 of the 3,267 tickets issued in total, the individual concerned was found guilty. Only 97 of those fines have been paid so far, amounting to nearly $300,000.
That leaves more than $3.5 million in fines unpaid.
In New Brunswick, 15 of the 34 tickets issued in 2021 and 2022 have been withdrawn. And in Manitoba — where the government provides data online for the period from April 2020 to December 2022 — 94 of the 345 active tickets have still not been paid.
Manitoba’s figures also illustrate a discrepancy between the fines that are issued and what ends up being paid, as the courts can reduce, dismiss or stay a ticket.
While about $9.3 million in fines were issued for violations of provincial and federal rules, only about $905,000 was collected.
The most common federal offense in 2022 involved travelers entering the country “without pre-arrival testing.” This resulted in at least 1,634 fines, according to the federal agency.
All travelers entering Canada were required to provide a negative COVID-19 test administered by an approved clinic until April, when the government dropped this requirement for fully vaccinated people.
Other common offenses include refusing to answer questions from a public health officer and failing to submit to on-arrival testing.
Overall, people who entered the country by car committed more offenses than those who arrived by air.